Multiple Ministers Discuss Civil Service Recruitment at Defence Ministry Headquarters
Jakarta — State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi outlined the results of a meeting held with several ministers and heads of agencies at the Defence Ministry on Tuesday 17 March 2026. The meeting focused on evaluating staffing recruitment structures across ministries and agencies.
Prasetyo explained that the meeting discussed evaluating staffing and recruitment of civil service workers (ASN) who will implement presidential priority programmes including the Red and White Village Cooperatives initiative and the Fishing Communities programme.
“In accordance with the President’s directive, we have all been asked to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of our staffing design and structure. In parallel, we have all been asked to conduct reviews and exercises in preparation for staffing to implement the President’s priority programmes,” Prasetyo said following the meeting.
Prasetyo cited an example of the meeting, where the Basic and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti was tasked with re-evaluating the need for teaching staff, staffing composition and required fields.
Additionally, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who also attended, was asked to conduct a census of healthcare staffing needs in disadvantaged regions (3T areas). There remain approximately 4,000 health centres without medical personnel, doctors and dentists.
However, when asked whether there would be civil service recruitment this year, Prasetyo could not provide assurance.
“Not yet, we are still finalising and formulating it,” he explained.
However, he confirmed that all attending ministers had presented their respective needs, taking into account current fiscal capacity.
Prasetyo also acknowledged that the government is currently implementing spending cuts, meaning the number of civil service workers to be recruited remains uncertain.
“Regarding numbers, we cannot provide a definitive figure yet. However, each year naturally, a number of civil service workers reach retirement age. So if we wish to protect the fiscal position, we may align recruitment with that figure,” Prasetyo said.
“So however many reach retirement age would then set the limit for our capacity to recruit new civil service workers, of course to implement government programmes,” he added.
The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Tito Karnavian, Marine and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Cooperative Minister Ferry Juliantono, Managing Director of Agrinas Pangan Joao Angelo De Sousa, Head of Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan, and the Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini.
Prasetyo also explained why the meeting was held at the Defence Ministry, noting that specialised training would be coordinated with future civil service recruitment.
“When we decide to conduct recruitment, we will ask the Defence Ministry, which has education institutions fairly widely distributed, to conduct the training and preparation. This is why we held the meeting at the Defence Ministry,” he said.