The Government has granted permanent appointments to a group of employees who had been serving on temporary, casual, substitute, contract, and concessionary terms under the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development.

The appointments were officially handed over at a ceremony presided over by Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe, in line with a 2026 Budget proposal aimed at regularising the services of nearly 9,800 employees across various government institutions.

Addressing the event, the Minister said the Government had chosen to integrate existing workers into the permanent public service rather than replacing them with new recruits following changes in administration. He added that the move reflects the Government’s commitment to providing job security while strengthening public sector services.

Samarasinghe also noted that the public service currently faces around 332,000 vacancies and revealed that approval has been granted to recruit more than 100,000 public servants. He urged the newly appointed employees to serve the public with dedication and contribute to the country’s development as permanent members of the state sector.