Punjab government jobs are filled by three main recruiting channels. Each has its own website, application portal and exam style. If you know which channel handles the post you want, you can follow the right notices instead of searching across job portals. This guide covers the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), the Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) and Punjab Police, along with the Punjabi language rule that runs across most state recruitment. Every figure below comes from an official notice or advertisement checked on 9 October 2026.
Who recruits for what
| Recruiting body | Posts it handles | Examples from its 2026 notices |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) | Group A and B officer posts, including the Punjab State Civil Services | PSCSCCE-2025 (331 posts) at the Mains stage; 101 Horticulture Development Officer posts (final result on 28 September 2026); 75 Junior Auditor posts in the Finance Department |
| Subordinate Services Selection Board, Punjab (PSSSB) | Group B, C and D posts in state departments | Clerk (Advt. No. 02/2026), Group-D (Advt. No. 04 of 2026), Junior Engineer (Advt. No. 07 of 2026), Driver/Clerk/Translator (Advt. No. 12 of 2026) |
| Punjab Police | Police constables (other ranks when advertised) | Constables in District and Armed Cadres, Advt. No. 01 of 2026 |
The PSSSB advertisement itself says the Board recruits staff for Group B, C and D services in Punjab government establishments, based on requisitions from departments.
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Continue with Document Verification Checklist – Central and Defence Recruitment₹299 — coaching के एक महीने से काफ़ी सस्ता / far cheaper than a month of coachingThe Punjabi language rule
Most direct recruitment in Punjab requires Punjabi at Matriculation level. PSSSB's Advt. No. 12 of 2026 quotes the rule in full. It is Rule 17 of the Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994:
"No person shall be appointed to any post in any service by direct appointment unless he has passed Matriculation examination with Punjabi as one of the compulsory or elective subjects or any other equivalent examination in Punjabi language which may be specified by the Government from time to time."
PSSSB exams also test Punjabi. In Advt. No. 12 of 2026, Part A of the written exam is a Class 10-level Punjabi paper. It is qualifying, and you need at least 50% in it. If you studied outside Punjab without Punjabi, find out whether you hold an equivalent qualification the government recognises before you apply. Then plan dedicated Punjabi practice for Part A.
PSSSB: what a 2026 advertisement looks like
Advt. No. 12 of 2026 is a good model of how PSSSB sets out its rules. It was published on 18 September 2026 for 70 posts, with online applications open from 25 September to 19 October 2026.
Age (as on 1 January 2026):
| Category | Upper age limit |
|---|---|
| General | 37 years |
| SC and BC residents of Punjab | 42 years |
| State and central government employees | 45 years |
| Persons with disabilities resident in Punjab | 47 years |
| Widows, divorcees and certain other categories of married women | 40 years |
The minimum age for all categories is 18. Educational qualifications must be complete by the last date of the online application, per a Punjab government notification of 21 January 2026 quoted in the advertisement.
Fees: Rs 1,000 for general category and sportspersons, Rs 250 for SC, BC and EWS, Rs 200 for ex-servicemen and their dependants, and Rs 500 for candidates with disabilities. The advertisement says fees are not refunded and no fee waiver is given.
Exam scheme: an objective (MCQ) written test in two parts. Part A is the qualifying Punjabi paper. The merit list is based only on Part B, which carries negative marking of a quarter mark for each wrong answer. Clerk posts also need qualifying typing tests in English and Punjabi. The Punjabi test is typed on a computer in the Unicode-compliant Raavi font.
Pay: the advertisement lists pay of Rs 19,900 for the clerk posts and Rs 25,500 for Field Artist.
Worked example: how Part A and Part B interact
Illustrative scenario. The number of questions is assumed, so check your own advertisement. Suppose Part B has 100 one-mark questions.
| Candidate | Part A (Punjabi) | Part B attempt | Part B score | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 62% | 70 right, 20 wrong, 10 blank | 70 − (20 × 0.25) = 65 | Ranked on Part B score of 65 |
| B | 46% | 78 right, 12 wrong, 10 blank | 78 − (12 × 0.25) = 75 | Not considered: Part A below 50% |
| C | 70% | 68 right, 4 wrong, 28 blank | 68 − (4 × 0.25) = 67 | Ranks above A despite two fewer correct answers |
The lesson from candidate B is that a strong Part B score counts for nothing until you clear Part A. Candidate C gives the second lesson: with quarter-mark negative marking, skipping questions you cannot narrow down can beat aggressive guessing.
PPSC: Punjab State Civil Services and officer posts
PPSC conducts the Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (PSCSCCE). Its rules are published on the PPSC website as the Punjab State Civil Services Appointment by Combined Competitive Examination Rules, 2009, with later amendments. For the 2025 cycle, PPSC's notices show:
- a revised answer key and list of provisionally shortlisted candidates for 331 posts (10 January 2026);
- an extension of the last date for the Mains online application form (18 March 2026);
- a public notice about the PSCSCCE-2025 Mains (15 July 2026).
PPSC also advertised PCS (Executive Branch) posts to be filled from "Register A-II" (21 posts) and "Register C" (5 posts) for the 2026 recruitment year. These are separate routes with their own eligibility, so read those notices before assuming they apply to you.
Beyond civil services, PPSC's 2026 notices cover Senior Assistant, Junior Auditor, Research Officer and Horticulture Development Officer posts. Many PPSC recruitments include a competitive exam followed by document scrutiny and, for some posts, an interview. Each post's notice states which stages apply.
Punjab Police constable recruitment
According to the Punjab Police public notice, Advt. No. 01 of 2026 (published 6 March 2026) invited applications for 2,522 District Cadre and 776 Armed Cadre constable vacancies, a total of 3,298. The notice said the Computer Based Test would be held from 1 July 2026 onwards. Updates on admit cards and later stages are posted on the Punjab Police website and its recruitment portal.
Your 2026 action checklist
- Match the post to the body. Civil services and most Group A and officer-level Group B posts go through PPSC. Group C and D posts, and some Group B posts, go through PSSSB. Constables go through Punjab Police.
- Confirm Punjabi eligibility. Find your Matric mark sheet showing Punjabi, or confirm that you hold an equivalent qualification the government recognises.
- Calculate your age on the advertisement's reference date. For Advt. No. 12 of 2026, this is 1 January 2026, and the relaxations above apply only to the listed categories.
- Finish qualifications before the last application date. Results that arrive afterwards do not count.
- Practise Part A separately. Treat the Punjabi paper as a pass/fail gate and practise Class 10-level comprehension and grammar.
- Practise typing on a computer if you are applying for clerk posts, including Punjabi typing in the Raavi font.
- Track notices weekly on the PPSC "Announcements", PSSSB homepage and Punjab Police "What's New" sections. Correction portals, scribe notices and counselling dates appear there first.
For a general approach to turning a commission's syllabus into a study plan, see our guide to state PSC preparation.
What to treat with caution
Unofficial lists of "expected" Punjab vacancies, salary ranges in lakhs per annum, and "likely" notification months are not commitments by PPSC, PSSSB or Punjab Police. Vacancy numbers, pay, fees and exam dates are fixed only by the advertisement and its corrigenda. PSSSB issued several corrigenda in September–October 2026, including increases in posts for Group-D and Clerk (Legal). Always check for a corrigendum before you rely on a number.