To address complications arising from the enforcement of a uniform 32-year age limit for government recruitment, the government has promulgated an amended ordinance. The President issued the ordinance on Monday (December 22).

The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Law Ministry issued the “Ordinance on Determination of Maximum Age Limit for Direct Recruitment in Government, Autonomous, Statutory Authorities and Public Non-Financial Corporations (Amendment), 2025.”

Earlier, on November 18 last year, the government set the maximum age limit at 32 years for entry into all levels of government service through an ordinance issued in 2024.

However, the move unintentionally revoked age relaxations previously available to freedom fighters’ children, physicians, persons with disabilities, and candidates for specialized technical and computer-related posts. Several recruitment rules also allowed age limits higher than 32 years, leading to legal and administrative complications.

Following appeals from job seekers and proposals from various ministries and agencies, the government introduced the amendment.

A new clause, 3(a), has been added to the ordinance, stating that where recruitment rules or regulations of government, autonomous, or statutory bodies specify an age limit exceeding 32 years for direct recruitment, such limits shall remain unchanged and valid.

Officials from the Ministry of Public Administration noted that under the Government Computer Personnel Recruitment Rules, 2019, age limits for certain posts ranged between 35 and 45 years. These provisions were nullified by the 2024 ordinance but have now been reinstated through the amendment.

Additionally, the term “semi-autonomous” institutions has been removed from the amended ordinance, meaning the new provisions will not apply to recruitment in semi-autonomous organizations.