PM Office headcount touches 833

90 employees hired in outgoing financial year

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Office hired 90 employees in the outgoing financial year 2017-18, bringing the total to 833, including 801 regular and 32 contractual employees in basic pay scales from 1 to 22.

In the new financial year starting July 1, the number of PM Office employees would reach 840, including 807 regular and 33 contractual employees. The office comprises two sections – internal and public.

Budget documents for fiscal year 2018-19 suggest that 546 regular employees are currently employed by the PM Office’s internal section, including 528 males and 18 females. These include 503 employees in BPS-1 to 15; 41 in BPS-16 to 19; and two in BPS-20 and above. No contractual employee is currently working with the internal section.



In the previous fiscal year (2016-17), the internal section had 506 employees, including one contractual employee. This implies that the PM Office hired 40 employees in the internal section in the outgoing financial year.

In financial year 2015-16, the internal section had 492 employees. In the new financial year 2018-19, the PMO’s internal section will have 553 employees, including one contractual employee.

The PM Office’s public section has 287 employees in the outgoing fiscal year 2017-18, including 32 contractual employees. As many as 10 employees of the public section are women.

In the last fiscal year (2016-17), the public section had 237 employees, including 32 contractual employees. This means that the PM Office hired 50 employees in this section in the outgoing financial year.

Cumulatively, 90 new employees were hired in both internal and public sections in the financial year 2017-18. Of the 255 employees in public section, 130 are in BPS-1 to 15; 112 in BPS-16 to 19; and 13 in BPS-20 and above.

In fiscal year 2015-16, the public section had 242 employees. In the new financial year (2018-19), the number of public section’s employees would remain unchanged.

In the new federal budget, the PM Office’s total budget surged by 7.5 per cent with the allocation of Rs986 million against Rs916.722 million set aside in the outgoing fiscal year, which was later revised at Rs968.195 million.

As much as Rs706 million was allocated under the head of ‘employees related expenses’, including Rs343 million for ‘pay’ in the new federal budget 2018-19. An amount of Rs363 million was earmarked for ‘allowances’, Rs73 million for ‘grants, subsidies and write off loans’ and Rs11 million for ‘employees retirement benefits’.

As much as Rs454 million was allocated for the PM Office’s public section in the next financial year 2018-19 against Rs405 million in the outgoing financial year.



On the other hand, Rs3.9 million is earmarked for internal section in the new budget, against Rs3.8 million in this financial year. In addition, Rs3.5 million was allocated under the head of ‘entertainment and gifts’.

PM Office’s budget also includes the budget of the PM House which has not been specified in the budgetary documents, according to officials who spoke to The Express Tribune.

Similarly, the PM Office’s new budget does not include discretionary funds at the disposal of prime minister. These funds are believed to be estimated in billions and are likely to be spent ahead of the general elections.