Govt suspends recruitment of civil servants and temporary workers

DÍLI, 29 July 2026 (TATOLI) – The Council of Ministers, on Wednesday, approved a draft Government Resolution suspending the recruitment of civil servants, public administration employees and the hiring of temporary workers.

The proposal, presented by the President of the Civil Service Commission, Agostinho Letêncio de Deus, aims to curb the continued expansion of the public administration and contain rising government expenditure.

“The aim of this draft Government Resolution is to limit the continued growth of the public administration—which has occurred without a rigorous selection process and has been based solely on actual needs—because this has resulted in a considerable increase in budgetary expenditure,” said in a statement.

This draft Government Resolution provides for exceptions to hiring for Ministerial Offices, to merit-based selection processes for management and leadership positions, and to career tracks or professional groups with vacancies and budgets approved in the previous year, as well as for university faculty and healthcare professionals, justified by staff shortages.

TATOLI