HARARE – The government will halt recruitment across most departments next year as Treasury battles to rein in a ballooning wage bill that continues to swallow more than half the national budget.
In a circular to ministries first reported by Bloomberg, finance secretary George Guvamatanga said the freeze will apply to all sectors “with the exception of health, education and the security sector to a limited extent.”
“Treasury has noted with concern the size of the civil service in non-critical sectors, despite the recruitment freeze policy stance,” Guvamatanga wrote. “For 2026, the recruitment freeze will apply to all sectors with the exception of health, education and the security sector to a limited extent.”
Zimbabwe has made similar promises before. A recruitment freeze was also announced in last year’s budget, but government departments kept on hiring, with Treasury now warning that the civil service has grown too large in non-critical areas.
The state employs about 330,000 workers, whose pay cheques account for roughly 56 percent of the budget, according to official figures. The International Monetary Fund in June listed the public sector wage bill among the main fiscal pressures weighing on the economy.
Consultations for the 2026 budget will begin later this month, with Treasury expected to issue expenditure guidelines – including spending caps for ministries and agencies – by September 20.