The Kerala government on Tuesday raised the age limit for general category candidates applying for the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) examinations from 36 to 40 years.
The Cabinet clarified that the age limit for job seekers, including those from Other Backward Communities (OBCs), a major demographic group comprising backward Hindu, Muslim and Christian sections, and persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes will be increased accordingly.
Currently, candidates from OBC and SC/ST categories can apply for PSC exams up to 39 and 43 years respectively.
The government expects the ‘watershed decision’ to benefit millions of government job seekers with qualifications from SSLC to postgraduate degrees in a state with a persistently high unemployment rate for educated youth (29.9%).
The decision comes ahead of the Assembly elections and against the backdrop of a series of aggressive protests by youths cutting across political lines, accusing the government of not reporting vacancies, not filling vacancies and deliberately allowing PSC rank lists to expire, including the posts of Civil Police Officers (CPOs) and Last Grade Servants (LSGs).
Hundreds of PSC rank holders tried to put the government on the defensive by going on hunger strikes, publicly toning heads, rolling on the roads and threatening to commit suicide in front of the secretariat, giving the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ammunition to portray the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government as an “anti-people government”.
In particular, the opposition criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s controversial statement that being on the rank list does not necessarily mean certain appointment, calling it “disparaging” to job seekers.
Decision welcome
A. Basheer, secretary of the Kerala PSC Rank Holders Association, welcomed the decision. He said the decision has widened the path to government employment for educated youth, especially those from marginalized sections of society, including minorities.
According to K. Sebastian, president of Kerala PSC Employees Union, the change in age criteria will definitely help lakhs of PSC aspirants. He reasons that hundreds of people who left the IT sector in their mid- or late 30s are now looking for government jobs. “A good 60% of candidates who pass the Secretarial Assistant exam are engineering graduates, and many of them are looking for jobs in the government sector after trying various other options. Those looking for a job after marriage, or those looking for a second job or a job with very few vacancies will surely benefit from this,” points out Mr. Sebastian.
Employment through PSC at 40 will not take them away as the retirement age has been increased to 60 for those who joined the service after April 1, 2013, he says.
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan was not immediately available for comment.
Published – 24 Feb 2026 21:41 IST
