Catalonia holds weekend exams for 1,325 civil service posts, drawing nearly 16,000 applicants
The Generalitat aims to stabilize its workforce, offering places across administrative, technical, and subaltern scales. Exams are held in Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with women making up over 70% of candidates.
A total of 15,795 people are competing this weekend for 1,325 permanent posts in Catalonia's regional public administration. The selection tests, organised by the Escola d'Administració Pública de Catalunya under the Government of Salvador Illa, are taking place simultaneously in four provincial capitals, continuing a drive to make recruitment more predictable.
Exam logistics
Barcelona hosts the largest contingent, with 10,924 aspirants distributed across the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and the law and economics faculties of the University of Barcelona. The remaining candidates are split among Girona (1,567 at the University of Girona), Lleida (1,534 at the University of Lleida) and Tarragona (1,770 at the Rovira i Virgili University). A total of 1,267 public employees oversee the exams, which cover 31 separate selection processes for posts ranging from senior administration and management to auxiliary and subaltern grades.
- Barcelona
- 10924
- Girona
- 1567
- Lleida
- 1534
- Tarragona
- 1770
Where the demand lies
The bodies attracting the most aspirants are the administrative corps (366 posts for 4,260 candidates), the senior administration corps (376 for 3,682), auxiliary administration (114 for 2,459) and subaltern (228 for 1,798). Technical scales such as public health, veterinary science, psychology, pedagogy, social work and several engineering disciplines are also included in the call.
- Senior administration
- 3682
- Administrative
- 4260
- Auxiliary admin
- 2459
- Subaltern
- 1798
Gender and candidate profile
Women account for 71.4% of applicants, with men at 28.3%. The profile reflects a wider trend in Spain's public sector where female participation in civil service exams has been high for years.
Government's staffing strategy
The present call is the third large-scale ordinary recruitment round since the current executive took office in 2024. The Illa government states that it is fulfilling a pledge to approve public employment offers and run selection processes every year in order to foster predictability, transparency and the attraction of fresh talent. Since the start of its term, the Generalitat has green-lit 16,932 posts across the 2025 and 2026 public employment offers, aiming to hold temporary staffing below 8% and to press ahead with administrative reform.
The commitment is to approve public employment offers and carry out selection processes each year, thereby improving transparency and attracting new talent.
What happens next
Successful candidates who take up their posts will be required to complete a non-eliminatory training course during the first quarter of 2027. The programme will focus on digital skills, institutional organisation and public-service values, and is intended to equip new civil servants with the skills needed for their roles.
