ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The number of candidates registering for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination has decreased by about 48 percent over the past four years, the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) said.
According to the data, CSS registrations fell from 35,059 in 2022 to 18,139 in 2025, while the number of candidates appearing in the examination dropped from 20,262 to 12,792 during the same period.
The number of nominations also declined, with 239 candidates recommended in 2022 compared to 170 in 2025.
FPSC statistics also show a significant decline in applications for federal government jobs through general recruitment. Registrations peaked at 436,757 in 2023 before falling to 196,193 in 2025, representing a decline of more than 55 percent in just two years.
Similarly, the number of candidates appearing in general recruitment examinations decreased from 199,234 in 2023 to 80,633 in 2025. Despite the reduced number of applicants, recruitment remained highly competitive.
In 2025, only 170 candidates were recommended from 18,139 registered CSS applicants, while 1,436 candidates were finally nominated through general recruitment from 196,193 registered applicants, despite 3,005 recommendations being made.
According to the FPSC, the number of candidates applying for federal government jobs in general recruitments has also decreased significantly compared to a few years ago, however, job availability is still very limited.
In 2025, only 0.94% of the registered CSS candidates, while 1.33% of the candidates who appeared for the exam, were eventually nominated. In comparison, in 2022, this rate was 0.68% for registered candidates and 1.81% for candidates who appeared for the exam.
The same trend was observed in general recruitments as well. The number of registrations reached a high of 436,757 in 2023, but decreased to 196,193 in 2025, a decline of more than 55% in just two years.
Similarly, the number of candidates appearing in the recruitment examinations decreased from 199,234 in 2023 to 80,633 in 2025. Despite the decrease in the number of applicants, the recruitment process remained extremely limited.
In 2025, out of 196,193 registered candidates, only 3,005 candidates were recommended, while only 1,436 candidates were nominated, as against over 436,000 registrations in 2023.
The data also revealed a persistent gap between registration and examination participation.
In 2023, only about 45 percent of the registered CSS candidates appeared for the examination, but this rate increased to around 71 percent in 2025.
The participation rate in the general recruitment exam increased from about 32% in 2022 to 41% in 2025, but despite this, the majority of registered candidates still did not appear.
The data shows that although the number of applicants for federal government jobs is decreasing, the competition is still very tough as the number of candidates is many times higher than the vacancies.
In 2025, about 18,000 candidates were competing for just 170 CSS nominations, while in general recruitment, about 200,000 applicants were competing for recommendations on just 3,005 seats.
