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

The Palace said the President issued the order during a sectoral meeting with officials of the Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Civil Service Commission, and Commission on Audit in Malacañang 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 English and Filipino during the meeting.

Those who are in COS positions serve as consultants or service providers of certain government agencies and these are not part of the government’s plantilla positions or permanent staff.

On the other hand, JOs are temporary or emergency employment 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 in the government.

Hence, Marcos instructed the 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 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? Because the percentages are one of the most important. Then let’s see the average. [It will] give us an idea of how people are using the system,” the President said.