SPA Continuously Improving Civil Service Recruitment Methods - Chairman

PUTRAJAYA, July 1 (Bernama) -- The Public Service Commission (SPA) is constantly reviewing and refining its recruitment methods, including the Public Service Entry Examination (PSEE), to ensure they remain relevant and effective in selecting the best candidates for the public service.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Jailani Muhamed Yunus said the evaluation was carried out continuously after each recruitment session, taking into account generational changes, current public service needs and the effectiveness of existing methods.

“Each recruitment exercise is followed by an assessment of whether the methods used are suitable for the current situation.

“This is because each generation is different. Generation Z, Generation X and Generation Y have different characteristics, so the assessment methods also need to be adjusted accordingly,” he said.

He said this to Bernama and RTM after inspecting the implementation of the Profession Assessment Centre (PAC) and the National Physical Fitness Test (UKJK) for the recruitment of Administrative and Diplomatic Officers (PTD) here today.

Ahmad Jailani stressed that the SPA had never viewed the existing mechanism as the best and would continue to explore more effective methods to identify the best talent for the public service.

He also said that the PSEE, or psychometric test, which has been said to have left out some talented candidates, was being evaluated for its effectiveness.

“What we have in the assessment is a form of psychometric evaluation that looks at several elements.

“For example, integrity, character and emotional balance. We have several core elements in our assessment that determine the compatibility of candidates with the positions they will hold,” he said.

Ahmad Jailani said that candidates who failed the PSEE should not be labelled as failures, as they had not reached the level of compatibility set for the post in question.

“Failing the PSEE does not necessarily mean candidates are not capable or qualified to be civil servants. They may be more suitable for other positions with different scopes of duties and requirements,” he said.

He added that for this year’s PTD recruitment, nearly 100,000 applications were received before being screened down to 7,338 candidates who passed the PSEE and were called for the PAC and UKJK stages, which included 43 persons with disabilities.

-- BERNAMA