Government jobs in Tanzania 2026: 45,000 posts planned, and how the tests work

The official numbers

All of these come from the Minister's 2026/27 budget speech, given in April 2026. Each one has its own period, and they count different groups, so they can't be divided into a chance of success.

• Permits for new posts, July 2025 to March 2026: 43,866. Of these, 41,500 are at institutions paid through the e-Watumishi system and 2,366 at institutions that pay from their own income.
• Plan for 2026/27: permits for 45,000 new posts, and replacement permits for 7,124 staff.
• PSRS, same period: six screening rounds after 845,042 people applied.
• Candidates placed in posts: 91,126, with 12,722 more places being filled.
• Kept in the database after passing the oral interview: 41,102.
• Practical tests: 9,836 candidates.
• Plan for 2026/27: 22 interview rounds, written tests for 600 cadres and practical tests for 250.

Where the posts are advertised

The Public Service Recruitment Secretariat handles most posts in ministries, agencies, public corporations and councils on the Mainland. Local government also has its own application system, and Zanzibar's public service uses ZanAjira. The police have their own portal, which said Application Window Closed on 2 November 2026. We checked those and more in our list of official job portals.

On 1 November 2026 we counted 50 open adverts that had come through ajira.go.tz. The current ones are on government jobs in Tanzania, and the big notices appear in our news.

How the stages work

The order below is how we read the speech and the notices. Your own notice has the final word.

• The notice. Read the general conditions at the end as well as the post itself.
• Your application on the portal, with your documents.
• Screening. Candidates sit a written test, and more and more of these are online. The speech says the online system (OATS) was assessed for centres in 31 regions, and tests have begun at district level in Muleba, Karagwe, Chato, Bagamoyo, Kasulu, Busega, Bunda, Tarime and Butiama.
• A practical test for some cadres, then an oral interview.
• Placement. Candidates who pass are placed in a post, or held in the database until a post comes up. Being in the database is not yet a job.

The speech also mentions a question bank of 77,863 questions for 826 cadres, and a psychometric test system that is being trialled. Nobody outside PSRS can honestly sell you those questions. You can practise with our interview tool, which has its own questions for public service panels.

What the notices ask for

We read the general conditions of the PSRS notice of 21 October 2026. All 50 PSRS adverts open on 1 November 2026 carry the same conditions, as do 122 of the 146 we hold in all. In short:

• Citizens only, and not above 45 years of age. For paramilitary bodies, not above 25 for non-degree posts and 30 for degree posts.
• Certified copies of your degree, diploma or certificates, transcripts, professional registration where it applies, and your birth certificate.
• Form IV and Form VI result slips, testimonials and partial transcripts are not accepted.
• A recent passport size photo, uploaded on the portal.
• Three reputable referees with reliable contacts.
• A signed letter in Swahili or English. See our samples.
• Foreign certificates recognised by TCU, NECTA or NACTVET.
• If you already work in the public service you can't apply in the ordinary way: the notice points to a circular. Retired public servants should not apply.
• Only shortlisted candidates are told the interview date, and applications sent any other way than the portal won't be considered.

Older notices can differ. Twenty of the 146, mostly from September 2026, also asked for a CV and Form IV and Form VI certificates, so always read the conditions in your own notice.

Your certificates will be checked

In the same period PSRS checked 80,481 certificates with NECTA, RITA and TRA. It found 52 forged, and 187 licences didn't meet the standard. The notice warns that forged certificates and false information bring legal action.

So make your names match across your documents before you apply. Our guide on RITA birth certificate verification gives the fees for correcting one, and the application documents guide covers the rest.

After you apply

Keep a note of each post, its reference and its closing date. The application tracker does this in your browser. Then watch for the two kinds of list that follow: those called for interview and those called to work. Check any list against the official source. Our guides on checking a shortlist and checking a placement notice show how.

If somebody offers you a post for money or through a contact, stop. The speech shows the Ajira Portal help desk served 42,770 people in the period, by phone and email, so ask there.

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