THE Marcos administration is studying the imposition of a hiring cap for contract of service (COS) and job order (JO) workers.
During a sectoral meeting at Malacañang presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reported a rise in the number of JO and COS workers in government, reaching 832,812, a 22.90% increase from 642,077 in 2022.
Of these workers, 69.68% or 580,323 are in local government units, 173,227 are in national government agencies, and 44,168 are in state universities and colleges, doubling from the previous count of 22,937 in 2022.
As part of the discussion, strategies such as potential hiring caps or limitations on the number of COS and JO workers per agency were deliberated.
Also discussed was the conversion of JO and COS positions into contractual positions, providing them with benefits, manpower augmentation, and pathways to qualify for permanent positions in the government. (GP)
