The Public Service Commission (PSC) wants to computerize and integrate the current Human Resource Management System (HRMS) to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The HRMS in the public service is mostly manual, and the commission fears that this may not address the needs of the workers in the long run.

The Commission's Chairperson, Salmaan Jacobs, says the HR Management System has also been prone to abuse over the years by public servants at some offices, ministries, and agencies.

Audit reports flag imbalances, especially with regard to the record-keeping of leave days and updates on the probationary and employment periods within the public service.

"We need to get to the stage where our system has to be upgraded, automated, updated, and integrated into a system that provides answers at the press of a button. So that it provides answers and a kind of system that will have all the details of our people in one folder. So that when auditors come, they should be able to get all the information efficiently and effectively, and civil servants must also know that their records are safe and that when they go on leave, it is recorded. The system must tell you."

The Public Service Commission is also reviewing its own structure, saying it does not take its mandate into consideration.

In terms of its mandate, the Commission has powers to advise the President and the government on the appointment of suitable persons to specified categories of employment in the public service.

Another is on the remuneration and retirement benefits of any such persons.

"Out there, there are a lot of accusations that things are coming to the Commission and that they are being delayed here, that decisions are not being taken on time, all of that, and that is because the manpower that we have is not adequate and the structure does not accommodate for us to have the right people to deploy. So we are looking at it in totality so we can rearrange the system to ensure that we have people in place who will do the work."

The work plan now for the Public Service Commission to engage relevant stakeholders, including central government leadership and regional councils, is ongoing.