Government Considers Opening 2026 CASN Recruitment Amid Shrinking Civil Servant Numbers

The government is formulating plans to commence the selection process for state civil apparatus candidates (CASN), particularly for civil servant candidates (CPNS), following a continuous decline in PNS numbers over the past five years. Head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) Zudan Arif Fakrulloh revealed that the number of civil servants has been steadily shrinking, inversely proportional to the growing number of government employees with work agreements (PPPK). This trend prompted him to assert the need to replenish PNS numbers during a working meeting with Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR) on Wednesday, 16 July 2026. “We need to increase our PNS numbers because our PNS growth is negative,” Zudan stated. He noted that the number of PNS in Indonesia now stands at only 3,480,108, a decrease of approximately 410,000 compared to the 2022 figure of 3,890,579. Meanwhile, PPPK formations, which numbered only 363,934 in 2022, have surged dramatically to 2,076,163. This figure excludes part-time PPPKs, which now total 1,220,600, up from 947,421 when first introduced into the ASN formation in 2025. Zudan explained that the increase in PPPK numbers brings the total state civil apparatus (ASN) to 6,776,871 as of 1 July 2026, compared to 4,254,579 recorded in 2022. “What we must observe is the downward trend in PNS; over the last five years, our PNS numbers have decreased by 410,000, while PPPK numbers have increased very rapidly,” Zudan stressed. During a working meeting with Committee I of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), Zudan said the initiation of the 2026 CASN selection process is also strategic due to the increasing number of ASN dismissed for disciplinary violations. One such violation is absenteeism. He reported that 75 ASN were dismissed in 2025, and 53 have been dismissed so far in 2026, comprising 64 PNS and 11 PPPK in 2025, and 49 PNS and 4 PPPK in 2026. “So, for next year’s needs, the test must be held now, because there is a probationary period, orientation, and preparation,” Zudan said. He also noted that many positions require ASN formations based on permanent PNS status rather than contractual agreements, such as teachers and lecturers. “For positions like teachers and lecturers, long-term roles are indeed necessary, so they are not contractual, because these are functional positions that prepare generations for the long term,” Zudan said. However, Deputy for Apparatus Human Resources at the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) Aba Subagja emphasised that there have been no in-depth inter-ministerial discussions regarding the opening of the 2026 CASN selection, specifically for CPNS formations. This includes talks between the PANRB Ministry as the regulator, the Ministry of Finance as the state treasurer, and BKN as the executor. “There have been no in-depth discussions yet; we are still awaiting further developments,” Aba told CNBC Indonesia.