Official figures from the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) reveal a significant decline in registrations for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination over the past four years. The number of applicants dropped from 35,059 in 2022 to 18,139 in 2025, marking a nearly 48% decrease. Similarly, the candidates appearing for the exam fell from 20,262 to 12,792 during the same timeframe.
Meanwhile, nominations for the CSS exam also saw a reduction, decreasing from 239 in 2022 to 170 in 2025. The CSS remains one of Pakistan’s most prestigious competitive exams, conducted annually by the FPSC to select officers for various civil service groups regardless of their academic disciplines.
FPSC’s data further indicates a broader trend of declining interest in federal government jobs, with general recruitment applications also falling sharply. Registrations for general recruitment peaked at 436,757 in 2023 but plunged to 196,193 by 2025, a decline exceeding 55% in just two years. The number of candidates appearing for these recruitment exams also dropped from 199,234 in 2023 to 80,633 in 2025.
Despite the reduction in applicants, the selection process remains highly competitive. In 2025, only 3,005 candidates were nominated from nearly 200,000 registrations for general recruitment, while in 2023, just 1,436 nominations were made from over 436,000 registrations. For the CSS exam, nomination rates were slightly higher in 2025, with 0.94% of registered candidates and 1.33% of those who appeared earning nominations, compared to 0.68% and 1.18% respectively in 2022.
Notably, there is a persistent gap between registration and actual participation. In 2023, only about 45% of registered CSS candidates appeared for the exam, though this improved to approximately 71% in 2025. For general recruitment, the appearance rate increased from around 32% in 2022 to 41% in 2025, yet a majority of registered candidates still did not sit for the exams.
In a significant development, these statistics highlight that while fewer Pakistanis are applying for federal positions, competition remains fierce due to the limited number of vacancies. In 2025 alone, nearly 18,000 candidates vied for just 170 CSS nominations, and almost 200,000 applicants competed for only 3,005 recommendations in general recruitment, underscoring the ongoing challenge of securing government employment.
