EPFO shifts recruitment to IBPS after NTA exit, eyes annual hiring cycle

Body signs MoU with IBPS for recruitment exams as NTA exits; plans annual hiring cycle to address staffing gaps and streamline processes

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has roped in the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) to conduct direct recruitment as it seeks to address an “acute shortage” of staff, according to two people aware of the matter. 

The National Testing Agency (NTA) informed the EPFO in May 2025 that it would not continue conducting its examinations, while the National Recruitment Agency (NRA) remains non-operational, the people said.

 

In this backdrop, EPFO has signed an MoU with the IBPS to conduct direct recruitment and departmental examinations for Group B and C posts. 

IBPS, an autonomous body governed by representatives from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), public sector banks and academic institutions, has been engaged to provide technical and infrastructural support for conducting online examinations at scale. 

The shift comes amid staffing constraints within the organisation. Documents placed before the Central Board of Trustees (CBT) flagged an “acute shortage” of staff, particularly in the social security assistant (SSA) cadre, which handles a significant share of EPFO’s operational workload.

 

Recruitment is expected to become an annual exercise, going forward, the people added. 

Future recruitment exercises are expected to cost around ₹42 crore per cycle, compared with ₹53.38 crore spent on the last recruitment exercise, of which ₹41.42 crore was borne by EPFO.

 

The previous exercise was conducted by NTA in 2023 and included computer-based tests in August, followed by skill tests later in the year. 

EPFO had notified 2,859 vacancies in the 2023 recruitment drive, including 2,674 SSA posts and 185 stenographer positions. However, the number of candidates eventually appointed or vacancies that remain unfilled has not been publicly disclosed. 

Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), IBPS will handle end-to-end examination processes, including application processing, biometric capture and computer-based testing. The agency will charge per-candidate fees along with a fixed professional fee for each examination cycle. 

The test structure for recruitment across Group B and C posts will be finalised in consultation with IBPS, with detailed formats for SSA and departmental promotion examinations outlined in annexures and subject to revision by EPFO as required. 

The move comes as the National Recruitment Agency, envisaged to conduct a common eligibility test for Group B and C posts, remains non-operational, limiting options for centralised recruitment. 

Group B posts broadly include mid-level supervisory roles, while Group C posts comprise operational and clerical positions such as social security assistants and stenographers. 

EPFO currently does not have a defined framework for approving spending on recruitment exams, and has sought CBT approval to fund examinations conducted through IBPS under the MoU, the people said. 

The proposal allows for advance payments to the agency, with final costs settled later, and gives the Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) the authority to decide exam-related processes. The annual cost is estimated at around ₹42 crore, to be booked under examination-related expenses, with details of each exercise to be reported to the CBT after completion. 

The MoU with IBPS will remain valid until November 11, 2028, and recruitment is expected to be undertaken regularly.