16.51 lakh applications for 11,249 posts: High demand for government jobs in the state

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which recently started the recruitment process for more than 11,000 posts across various departments, received a whopping 16.51 lakh applications.

Between June 5 and September 9, 2026, KEA has issued a notification and invited applications for 11,249 vacancies in 15 departments – including police, revenue, horticulture, law and municipality. A total of 16,51,210 candidates from across the state applied for these positions. This means that at least 146 candidates are competing for each seat.

Out of the total number of applications, 3,46,511 applications were submitted for 2,544 posts reserved for Kalyana Karnataka region, while 13,04,699 applications were received for 8,705 posts reserved for Residual Parent Cadre (Rest of Karnataka) region.

Revenue, Police Department

The most applications were received for posts in the revenue department. A total of 4,92,534 applications were submitted for 572 posts in the municipal administrative office (VAO). As many as 4,54,532 applications were received for 3,991 posts of police constables (civilian).

A relatively low number of applications have been submitted for some posts under the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS). For example, 428 applications were received for 17 Drawing Graduate positions and 581 applications for 17 Diploma Drawing Teacher positions.

KEA, which holds the Karnataka State Eligibility Test (KSET) for the Higher Education Department, has received 1,27,975 applications for it.

A long recruitment gap

As of 2018, apart from the recruitment of approximately 15,000 postgraduate primary school teachers and approximately 2,500 teaching assistants for government first-level colleges, there has been no significant recruitment for government departments. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the government halted recruitment processes. Recruitment processes have also been delayed for the past two to three years due to court orders, including those related to implementation of internal reservation.

This situation resulted in several protests by the youth, especially in North Karnataka, demanding jobs.

This is considered to be one of the important factors that has led to such a high number of applications since the beginning of the process. The state government plans to fill around 75,000 government posts in the next two years. Several departments have since initiated steps to fill vacancies through the KEA.

“I have a post graduate degree and have been preparing for civil service jobs for the past five to six years. Among the vacancies recently announced by KEA, the minimum education for most posts is II PUC or bachelor’s degree. I have applied for five different posts,” said Shyam Sundar NS, a job seeker from Bengaluru.

AI and other factors

“The suspension of recruitment processes for several years is the main reason for the increase in applicants. Moreover, individuals who have lost their jobs in the private sector – due to factors including artificial intelligence (AI) – are now turning to government jobs. As a result, both the number of candidates enrolled in training centers and the number of applicants for these posts has increased,” argued Bengal’s private coach Ramesh Kumar in central Bengal.

Speaking to The Hindu , H. Prasanna, Executive Director, KEA, said that four more departments have submitted proposals to fill a total of 9,340 posts and notifications will be issued soon.

Published – 27 Sep 2026 06:01 IST