Almost 16,000 candidates are sitting competitive exams this weekend for 1,325 civil service positions across Catalonia, in one of the region’s largest public-sector recruitment drives in recent years. The Generalitat’s latest call is focused mainly on administrative roles. Exams are taking place simultaneously in Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona as part of a renewed effort to stabilize hiring.
Barcelona is the basic center, with nearly 11,000 applicants, about 70% of the total, sitting their exams in the city. The other candidates are spread across Girona (1,567), Lleida (1,534), and Tarragona (1,770), bringing the listed city totals to 15,871. More than 1,200 public employees have been mobilized to keep the decentralized exams running smoothly, drawing on lessons from previous disruptions.
Most positions are in administrative bodies. The higher administrative corps has 376 openings and 3,682 applicants; the standard administrative corps has 366 openings and 4,260 applicants. There are 228 subaltern roles with 1,798 applicants, while auxiliary administrative staff account for 114 positions and 2,459 applicants. Together, these four groups make up 1,084 posts and 12,199 applicants. The remaining 241 positions cover technical and specialist work, including public health and veterinary services, as well as psychology, pedagogy, social work, and engineering.
Women make up more than 71% of registered applicants, while just over 28% are men. The Generalitat says it has kept a regular calendar for civil service exams since the PSC entered government in 2024. The current round follows two major calls: one in October 2024 for 1,260 positions, then another between March and April 2025 for 1,808 positions.
Successful candidates must complete a mandatory, non-eliminatory training course in the first quarter of 2027. The Department of Presidency has set the program, which aims to strengthen digital skills and knowledge of institutional organization, alongside public-service values.
The government says it wants a predictable, transparent recruitment cycle that attracts new talent and avoids the instability of earlier processes. The chaotic extraordinary exams in April 2023 remain a recent example. Outsourcing them to a private company led to delays lasting hours, exam distribution errors, and widespread logistical failures. The fallout included canceled exams and disciplinary action against the contractor. Marta Martorell, then-director general of Public Function, was dismissed.
Efforts to restore order to Catalonia’s public-sector hiring come as the region continues to tackle administrative challenges. In a related move, the Generalitat recently allocated €30 million to identify families missing out on social aid, as detailed in a previous report on targeted welfare initiatives.
Catalonia’s civil service exams are among Spain’s most competitive, with thousands of candidates vying for limited posts each year. The decentralized approach, now standard after past controversies, is intended to minimize disruptions and give candidates across the territory fair access. This recruitment cycle will test the Generalitat’s ability to deliver on its promise of stability and transparency in public employment.
