The Public Service Commission (PSC) said on Monday it does not know how many exams will be carried out under a proposed new system for hiring in the civil service.

Officials and MPs continued discussing a batch of bills aiming to rationalise and speed up hiring in the civil service.

One of the main changes is that the general written exam will be carried out after the vacancies are published – not before, as is the case now.

In this way, applicants will know in advance if they’re qualified before deciding to sit the exam.

Answering questions, PSC head Georgios Papageorgiou said that under the current system, three general exams take place – according to three groupings of pay scales in the civil service. In addition, more specialised exams may be held.

Under the proposed changes, the PSC would be able to bundle the positions that open up every year, according to the required qualifications.

Once the bills are voted into law, said Papageorgiou, the PSC would set criteria for the exams – such as the number of interested parties or specific qualifications, based on a political decision.

“Right now, we can’t put a number on how many exams there will be,” he told MPs.

Disy MP Demetris Demetriou said this might create a situation where different exams are needed to hire lawyers, depending on the department they’re applying for – for example at the attorney-general’s office or the ministry of justice.

“A lawyer may need to take up to 17 exams within a year. This does a disservice to people interested in applying,” he said.

Another issue that came up is who will organise and supervise the exams for aspiring civil servants.

Currently, said Papageorgiou, most exams are done by the education ministry. However, if in the future less candidates sit for any one particular exam, more examiners would be needed overall.

Regarding where additional examiners might be found, Papageorgiou suggested private universities or audit firms.

Explaining the new procedure envisioned, Papageorgiou said that all vacancies for the year will be published during the month of February. Applications must be submitted by mid-March. Later, applicants will state their order of preference for the various positions.

As is the case now, civil service applicants may apply for a number of positions, but under the new system they would be required to indicate their top preference.

A finance ministry official said that after publication of the vacancies, the PSC will determine what exams are needed. Therefore, it’s impossible to declare the exam material at the time of publishing the vacancies.

“The time and place of the exams, as well as the exam material, will be decided and notified in the government gazette.”

The same official noted that, under the current system, positions are often not filled. She cited one example concerning administrative functionaries at the finance ministry. The announced vacancies were 31, and 46 candidates were invited to an interview. Of these, only 22 showed up, and necessarily they were offered the job, since the candidates were fewer than the positions available.

And of the 22, in the end only 11 took the position.

In addition, the success rate in the written exam ranges from 20 to 25 per cent.

Discussion of the bills will continue at the House finance committee.

According to the latest data, the total number of civil service employees came to 22,978.

The civil service is a sub-category of the broader state/government sector, which altogether employs 53,700 people.