2 min readThiruvanananthapuramFeb 25, 2026 07:31 AM IST
Ahead of the upcoming Assembly election in the state, the Kerala Cabinet on Tuesday increased the upper age limit to apply for state public service commission jobs from 36 to 40 for candidates in the general category. It also decided to accept in principle and publish the report of the Justice J B Koshy Commission, which looked into issues of the Christian community in the state.
After the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister’s Office said candidates from various reservation categories will also get a corresponding increase in the upper age limit (As per the PSC norm, SC/ST candidates will get a relaxation of five years, while OBC candidates will get three years’ relaxation).
In Kerala, the general retirement age is 56. Although there had been recommendations to increase the retirement age, successive governments in Kerala had been disinclined to revisit the issue, fearing backlash from the youth.
As per the state economic review, the number of job seekers in Kerala until August last year was 22.98 lakhs. The unemployment rate, as per usual status (ps+ss) for persons aged 15 years and above in Kerala for the year 2023–24 is 7.2%, while the national average is 3.2%.
The Justice J B Koshy Commission was formed in November 2020, months before the last Assembly elections. The commission submitted its report to the state government in May 2023. However, the report has not seen the light of day so far, leading to speculation that the findings could trigger a major debate, putting the government on a sticky wicket. Various Churches have been demanding that the report be published.
The Cabinet said the report would be published officially. It also took decisions on 32 recommendations of the commission, said the CMO.
