Ahsan Iqbal calls for strategies to address public sector skills gap

December 27, 2024 (MLN): Challenges in retaining skilled professionals in the public sector stem from a mismatch between their skillsets and job demands, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said while stressing the need to adopt corporate strategies to bridge this gap and enhance workforce efficiency.

He highlighted these challenges during a meeting of the Committee on Civil Service Reforms yesterday.

To further these deliberations on civil service reforms, HR managers from Engro Corporation, Unilever, and Wafi Energy Pakistan Limited (formerly Shell Pakistan Limited) participated online. They briefed the committee on recruitment and HR training models employed by their organizations, underscoring their commitment to meritocracy and rewarding employees fairly.

“Our people are as important as anything else,” they emphasized, adding that character-based leadership serves as the cornerstone of their HR strategies.

The meeting also explored the advantages private companies enjoy, such as access to diverse talent pools and fewer regulatory constraints, which enable more flexible and efficient systems. While acknowledging the limitations of the public sector due to existing rules and regulations, the Minister stressed the importance of identifying corporate practices that can be adapted within available public resources.

The committee was directed to incorporate actionable insights from these discussions to enhance civil service recruitment, training, and performance management, ensuring a more competitive and effective public sector workforce.

Copyright Mettis Link News