Cost and Administrative Effectiveness of Recruitment and Selection Practices on Public Service Delivery in Public Sector Institutions

Abstract

The quality of human resources of every nation greatly determines its development. Therefore, a well-functioning recruitment and selection system can screen and identify candidates with the skills, qualifications and professional competence to effectively perform public and civil servant tasks. Given this context, this study examines the role of recruitment and selection practices in public service delivery focusing on the perspectives of the Public Service Commission (PSC). The following objectives were established; to examine the recruitment and selection practices and structures, to assess the effect of recruitment and selection on public service delivery, to investigate public recruitment and selection strategies and to assess the challenges affecting effective public recruitment practices at PSC. In order to assess the effectiveness of different recruitment and selection practices of civil and public servants, an exploratory case study design was used whereby qualitative data was collected using interviews and questionnaires to provide an insight and identify the extent to which the Public Service Commission applies recruitment and selection practices. The study used a simple random sampling technique and the sample size of this research was 40. The findings revealed that the more effectively MDAs recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees. Hence, investing in the development of a comprehensive and valid selection system is critical for better service delivery. The result showed that PSC has a structured recruitment and selection system to recruit and select personnel for public service. The better and clearer recruitment/selection processes, the more qualified staff are hired. The findings further revealed that quality human resource, credible and efficient recruitment process backed by better recruitment strategy are critical to improved public service delivery. By extension, the findings showed serious challenges in human resources in the public sector as recruitment and selection procedures tend to conflict with the requirement of ethic representativeness. In conclusion, the study has established that recruitment and selection is a key component of human resource management and thus a building block of national development and success.

Effect of recruitment processes on employee job performance in Ebonyi State Civil Service: A study of selected ministries

“…Similarly Abbasi, Tahir, Abbas, and Shabir (2020) see it as a process in which the different types of desirable candidates who are in search of a suitable type of job can be allowed for entry to the said organisation for gaining a talents pool of employees and gaining a competitive edge in the said market dynamics. Moreover, Udeh et al, (2023) maintain that in this era of increased globalization and rapidly changing population and governance environment, organizational success depends largely on recruiting and retaining high-quality individuals whose contribution will add a considerable value to the employing organisation or institution. Avail to say that the overall objective of recruitment is to assess the most qualified applicants from the data of applicable applicants for a said job in a particular domain.…”

“…Although most references are apprehensive to respond to particular questions, a background check can be utilized to gather as much information as feasible that will be used in deciding whether or not to approve the applicants. References, therefore, provide the organization with information into how other people see the candidate's main skills (Udeh et al, 2023). In addition to performing medical fitness check, Ebonyi state civil service commission through the line ministries and extra ministerial departments reserves the right to carry out reference and background checks to validate the candidate's education or exonerate any felonious record; and those candidates that best meet the criteria, including medical fitness are employed and moved to the onboarding process that ends the recruitment processes (Baribor, 2023).…”

“…It appears there is disregard for due processes, as most of the staff employed into Ebony State Civil Service over the years tends to be either not qualified for the jobs or their credentials were irrelevant to the position assigned to them (Oyadiran et al, 2023). Most scholars have expressed utter displeasure on the recruitment dilemma and unanimously attribute it to abuse of the merit principle (Udeh et al, 2023;Dueze and Chibuzor, 2020). They argue that the political godfathers have practically hijacked the entire processes with their influence peddling.…”

“…Misrepresentation of qualifications (fake qualifications) Misrepresentation can occur during a selection process when an eloquent communicator can get the job only to be realized later that he is incapable or does not have the right qualifications or experience. Relevant qualifications for the job are not often used during the selection process to screen and short list the candidates (Udeh et al, 2023). Besides, what appears to be the practice lately for internal recruitment is that job postings seems not be thrown open or made competitive by reviewing employees' records to pick the best fit; rather it appears like a manipulated process due to political manipulation and personal aggrandizement (Baribor, 2023).…”

“…It therefore behooves on the Commission and various Stakeholders to allow the system interact accordingly with the external environment by importing the right people from the environment via the complete recruitment processes, which starts from needs prediction to advertisement for the job till the interviews, selection and orientation of the manpower resources are complete. Scholars have underscored that the quality of a work place is determined by the quality of its employees to a great extent (Udeh et al, 2023;Ngobe et al, 2023;Erude et al, 2023;Hamza et al, 2021). All these recruitment processes are therefore important because any anomaly or faulty move with one will invariably affect one another and the entire system as a whole.…”