By Sampson W. Weah
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — More than 2,700 government employees across Liberia are expected to leave the public service at the end of December 2026, with the education sector accounting for the largest share of the impending workforce transition.
Civil Service Agency (CSA) Director-General Dr. Josiah F. Joekai Jr. disclosed that 2,718 civil servants from 67 government institutions have been cleared for retirement effective December 31, 2026.
The figures emerged from a nationwide pre-retirement counselling and data verification exercise conducted by the CSA in partnership with the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP). The initiative covered all 15 counties and documented 2,835 personnel.
The Ministry of Education leads the retirement list, with 1,400 employees expected to depart, representing approximately 54.9 percent of the total. The Ministry of Health follows with 300 retirees, while the Ministry of Local Government accounts for another 297.
Together, the three institutions represent the overwhelming majority of the departing workforce. The remaining 64 public institutions account for 628 employees, or approximately 23 percent of the total.
Providing a breakdown by gender, Dr. Joekai said the retirement cohort comprises 2,125 men and 593 women.
The impending departures have raised the importance of succession planning, particularly within the education and health sectors, where staffing levels directly affect the delivery of essential public services.
Dr. Joekai stressed the need for government institutions to prepare for the transition by strengthening workforce replacement strategies and ensuring that critical institutional knowledge is not lost when experienced employees leave active service.
The exercise also brought to light 117 outstanding pension cases involving former public servants whose retirement dates fall between 2020 and 2024.
The CSA said the latest intervention builds on earlier efforts to address accumulated pension obligations, including the placement of 284 overdue retirees, whose cases dated from 2018 to 2023, onto the government’s active monthly pension payroll.
Eligible members of the December retirement cohort who successfully complete NASSCORP’s verification process are expected to receive their first monthly pension payments in January 2027.
In addition to their regular pension benefits, qualified retirees will receive a one-time severance payment from the government, commonly referred to as a handshake, with the amount determined by their respective years of service.
Meanwhile, the CSA has extended the registration period to November 30, 2026, for public servants who were unable to participate in the initial nationwide exercise.
Those registered under the secondary batch are expected to begin receiving their pension payments in February 2027, with January benefits covered retroactively.
The government says the exercise is intended to facilitate an orderly retirement process while addressing outstanding pension records and preparing public institutions for the next phase of workforce management.
