President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to review the existing conditions of government employees under contracts of service (COS) and job orders (JO) after he extended their term from 31 December 2024 to 31 December 2025, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Malacañang said Marcos made the order during a sectoral meeting with officials from the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Civil Service Commission, and the Commission on Audit in the Palace last Wednesday.

“Let us study (the working conditions of the COS and JO employees). Just look at the numbers, the data on average, government agencies… How many of their employees are contractual?” Marcos said in a mix of English and Filipino during the meeting.

Those who are under COS (Contracts of Service) positions serve as consultants or service providers of a certain government agencies and these are not part of the government's plantilla position or permanent staff. 

On the other hand, JOs (Job Orders) are temporary or emergency employment roles designed to address specific tasks within a defined period.

These types of jobs do not provide the same employment security or benefits as permanent, plantilla positions within the government.

Hence, Marcos has instructed government agencies to enhance the skills and capabilities of COS and JO personnel. This initiative involves reeducation and training in collaboration with higher education institutions to help these workers pass the civil service examination.

Marcos said the aim is to develop a qualified pool of government workers who are capable of filling permanent positions within the government's organizational structure.

"How many items in their plantilla proper are not filled? How many are contractual as a percentage of the total number of employees? Kasi the percentages are one of the most important. Then titingnan natin is average. [It will] give us an idea how people are using the system," Marcos said.

As of 30 June 2023, the government workforce included 832,812 workers under Contracts of Service (COS) and Job Orders (JO), constituting 29.68 percent of the total. This number represents a 29.71 percent increase compared to the figures from 2022.