Pune: 43% of PMC’s Sanctioned Posts Lie Vacant Amid Growing Civic Workload, Contract Hiring Fills the Gap

Pune, 12th September 2026: With the city’s expansion adding to civic challenges, a fresh assessment of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s staffing situation has revealed 6,903 vacancies across Class I to Class IV posts.

Of the 15,940 sanctioned posts, only 9,037 are currently filled, leaving nearly 43 per cent of the sanctioned workforce vacant. The shortage has forced the civic administration to rely on temporary staff and additional responsibilities being assigned to existing employees.

The figures were provided by the civic administration in response to a question raised by corporator Archana Jagtap during the August general body meeting.

Among Class I posts, 147 of the 298 sanctioned positions are filled, leaving 151 vacant. Of the 829 Class II posts, 520 are filled and 309 remain vacant. Class III has the highest number of vacancies, with 3,513 of its 7,669 sanctioned posts lying vacant. In Class IV, 2,930 of 7,144 posts are vacant.

The administration has also clarified that there is no issue of a reservation backlog in promotions as reservation is not applicable to promotions.

The manpower shortage has also increased the civic body’s reliance on outsourcing. Around 13,000 to 14,000 workers are engaged through contractors for sanitation, clerical and other services across various departments.

The PMC had begun filling vacant posts in different categories from 2023. However, a large number of positions continue to remain vacant.

A significant number of employees recruited or appointed between 1990 and 2005 are also expected to retire by 2027, potentially widening the staffing gap.

The shortage is particularly visible in the health department, where inadequate manpower has led the civic body to hand over the operation of some of its hospitals to private agencies.

The administration now faces questions over when it will undertake a special recruitment drive to fill the vacancies and how it plans to address the growing workload on existing employees.