Latest available data on the number of vacancies across the various Ministries & Departments of the Government of India (GoI) indicates greater number of vacancies in low-ranking Group B(NG) and Group C positions while the situation is better for Group A posts. In India, government jobs continue to be a preferred option for those seeking employment. Job security, financial security, societal status, perks, facilities, etc. are among the various reasons that make government jobs a sought-after option. The promise of employment by filling up the vacant posts in the government continues to be among the major assurances given by political parties during elections. The government of India and of respective states have their presence across different sectors, and their involvement is a key enabler for the functioning and progress of the country. Thus, there is a need for hiring qualified human resources at various levels to facilitate the functioning of the government. Based on the requirements of various government departments, the number of posts is determined by the government. The filling of these vacancies is a continuous process. So, how many government jobs are sanctioned in various ministries/departments of the Government of India (GoI)? How many of these posts are vacant? Here is an analysis. Data Methodology Annual Report of the Department of Expenditure (DoE) provides departments wise information on the sanctioned posts & vacancies. The latest such information is available as of 01 March 2021. This same information was referred to by GoI in its response to a question in Lok Sabha on 29 March 2023. Since the government has also referred to the status as on 01 March 2021, in its latest response, the information as of that date can be inferred as the latest available information. The information relates only to Central government departments and undertakings. 72% of the Vacant Posts are in Railways, Defence (civilian) & Home As per the response provided in Lok Sabha, the total number of vacancies available across the 78 Ministries or departments are around 9.79 lakhs. Out of these, the greatest number of vacancies are in the Railways, which has 2.93 lakh posts to be filled. This is 30% of the total vacancies. The next highest number of vacant posts is related to the civilian posts under the Ministry of Defence. It accounts for 27% of the total vacant posts. Around 1.43 lakh posts are vacant in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Most of these are related to the Central Armed Police Forces. These three ministries/departments make up about 72% of the total vacant posts. Among the other ministries/departments, Posts and Revenue have 9% & 8% of the total vacant positions. These five make up 89% of the total vacant positions. The rest of the 11% of vacant positions are spread across 73 Ministries/departments. Science & Technology, Commerce, Mines have more than 50% of their sanctioned posts vacant While the Ministry of Railways has the highest number of vacant posts, it ought to be noted that it also has the highest number of Sanctioned posts. In fact, the above-mentioned vacant posts in Railways are about 19.4% of the total sanctioned posts for that Ministry. Out of the 15.14 lakh Sanctioned positions in Railways, 12.2 lakhs are already filled up. In the case of Home Affairs, about 13% of the sanctioned posts are vacant. In terms of the share of Vacancies out to the total positions sanctioned for that particular Ministry/department, Science & Technology tops the list. 69% of the 12,442 sanctioned posts are vacant. There are three other Ministries where more than half of the sanctioned positions are vacant. These are – Commerce, Mines and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. A total of 19 Ministries have vacancies between 40-50% of the sanctioned posts. Only two Ministries – Health & Family Welfare and Telecommunication have vacancies at less than 10% of the sanctioned posts. Among the departments with a large number of sanctioned posts, the Department of Defence has a higher vacancy rate. Out of the 6.46 lakh civilian posts sanctioned for Defence, about 3.81 lakhs are filled. Around 2.64 lakhs i.e., nearly 41% of the posts are vacant. Around 44% of the 1.79 lakh sanctioned posts in the Ministry of Revenue are yet to be filled. As indicated earlier, the Ministry of Telecommunication has the least vacancy percentage. Only 167 positions i.e., 4.7% of the total 3.38 thousand positions needed to be filled as of 01 March 2021. 32% of the positions sanctioned under Group B (NG) are vacant The sanctioned posts are categorised into 4 groups based on the status of the position. These are – A, B(G), B(NG) and C. Group A positions are high-ranking positions.