Pakistan to Abolish 60% of Vacant Federal Accounts Posts
Quick answer: Pakistan's federal government has started the process of abolishing 60% of permanent posts in its accounts system that have been empty for at least a year. The Controller General of Accounts has told offices to redo vacancy rosters. Posts kept for transfers, postings and promotions are spared, but the cuts come out of direct recruitment quotas.
Key Takeaways
The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) has directed offices to abolish 60% of permanent posts vacant for one year or more.
The CGA's directions cite a federal cabinet decision dated August 27, 2024.
Vacancies reserved for transfers, postings and promotions will not be abolished.
Abolished posts will be deducted from the quota for initial appointments and direct recruitment.
Financial Accounting Offices must update their vacancy rosters and process promotions accordingly.
Pakistan's federal government has moved to eliminate a large share of the unfilled jobs in its own accounts machinery. Under directions issued with the approval of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), 60% of permanent posts that have stayed vacant for a year or longer are to be abolished, Samaa TV reported on Friday, October 2, and The Express Tribune also reported the directions. For people hoping to join the federal accounts service through open recruitment, the decision narrows the direct-entry route.
What exactly has been decided?
According to the CGA's directions, as reported by The Express Tribune, posts in the federal accounts system that have been empty for at least one year have been recommended for abolition in line with a federal cabinet decision taken on August 27, 2024. Samaa TV, citing a CGA notification, said 60% of such long-vacant posts will be scrapped.
The instructions contain three operational points:
Protected vacancies: posts that are vacant because they are earmarked for transfers, postings or promotions will not be abolished.
Where the cut lands: the abolished positions will be deducted from the quota set aside for initial appointments, meaning direct recruitment.
Paperwork: all Financial Accounting Offices (FAOs) must review or prepare fresh vacancy rosters and process promotion cases in line with the revised roster.
The CGA is the government's principal accounting office and is responsible for producing accurate and timely financial statements for the federation.
Why is the government cutting vacant posts?
The step appears to be part of the wider federal rightsizing exercise that began in mid-2024. As The News reported in February 2026, that drive is run by a committee set up by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with the aim of streamlining the federal government, reducing spending and improving administrative efficiency. It covers all federal ministries and hundreds of attached departments and autonomous bodies.
The CGA directions echo the cabinet's 2024 decision. Vacant federal posts were then assessed at around 150,000, and the cabinet directed that 60% of them be abolished or declared "dying" posts, which disappear once their current holders retire or leave. The same package approved outsourcing general non-core services such as cleaning, plumbing and gardening, and abolishing contingency posts across ministries and divisions.
How far has rightsizing gone so far?
By February 2026, official sources quoted by The News said 55,545 vacant posts had been either abolished or placed on the path to elimination. That figure breaks down as 44,286 positions removed outright and 11,259 declared a dying cadre.
Officials have said the approach deliberately targets unfilled or redundant posts rather than serving staff, to avoid layoffs while trimming the wage bill. The News also reported that the government expects the initiative to drastically cut BS 1-16 staff and reduce the pension bill.
Who is affected, and who is not?
Based on the CGA directions as reported, the measure applies to positions that are already empty. The reports do not mention any serving staff being removed, or any change to salaries or allowances of current staff.
The people most directly affected are prospective applicants. Because abolished posts come out of the direct recruitment quota, fewer openings are likely to be advertised for fresh entry into federal accounts offices than the old sanctioned strength would suggest. Vacancies kept for internal transfers, postings and promotions are protected, so career movement for existing staff should continue, with FAOs instructed to process promotion cases under the updated rosters.
What happens next?
The immediate task sits with the FAOs, which must rebuild their vacancy rosters to reflect the cut. Neither report gives a deadline, a total number of posts involved or the pay scales concerned. Those details are likely to emerge as offices complete the roster exercise.
The accounts system is one part of a much larger federal structure, and similar exercises have been carried out across ministries since 2024. Job seekers should therefore expect the overall pool of federal vacancies to keep shrinking in departments where long-unfilled posts exist.
What this means for you
If you are preparing for a federal government job, especially in accounts, audit or finance support roles, this decision is worth factoring into your plans.
Expect fewer direct-entry openings: with posts deducted from the direct recruitment quota, competition for each advertised accounts vacancy is likely to rise.
Apply only through official channels: genuine federal vacancies are advertised by the relevant department or recruitment body. Be wary of anyone promising placements in posts that may no longer exist.
Widen your options: consider provincial departments, autonomous bodies and private-sector finance roles alongside federal applications.
Build transferable skills: accounting software, financial reporting and audit skills are in demand in both public and private employers.
Current employees: the order targets vacant posts, not serving staff, and protects vacancies kept for promotions. Watch for your office's revised vacancy roster.
Jobsiz will update this article if the CGA publishes the number of posts affected or a timeline for completing the exercise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which government posts are being abolished?
Permanent posts in the federal accounts system that have stayed vacant for one year or more. Under the CGA's directions, 60% of such posts are to be abolished.
Will any current government employee lose their job?
The directions as reported apply to vacant posts only. Officials have said the wider rightsizing drive targets unfilled positions to avoid laying off serving staff.
Are promotion and transfer vacancies affected?
No. Vacant posts set aside for transfers, postings and promotions are excluded, and accounts offices have been told to process promotion cases under revised rosters.
How does this affect people applying for federal accounts jobs?
The abolished posts are deducted from the quota for initial appointments and direct recruitment, so fewer direct-entry vacancies are likely to be advertised.
What is the basis for the decision?
The CGA cited a federal cabinet decision of August 27, 2024. The News has reported that a 2024 cabinet decision under the rightsizing drive called for 60% of vacant federal posts to be abolished or declared dying posts.
How many federal posts have been cut so far?
By February 2026, The News reported 55,545 vacant posts abolished or phased out: 44,286 removed outright and 11,259 declared a dying cadre.
Sources
This article was compiled by Jobsiz from the sources listed above, with AI-assisted writing and automated fact-checking. Published October 3, 2026. We update stories when new verified information becomes available.