The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is an institution under the Government of India that functions as an attached office of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which falls under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. It is an executive body established by an Executive Resolution and does not possess a statutory or constitutional mandate, unlike the UPSC. The origin of the SSC traces back to the recommendation of the Estimates Committee in Parliament's 47th Report (1967–68) to set up a body for recruiting to lower categories of posts, thereby easing the burden on the UPSC. The Government of India constituted the Subordinate Services Commission on November 4, 1975, which was subsequently re-designated as the Staff Selection Commission on September 26, 1977.
The primary mechanism of the SSC is to conduct open competitive examinations, such as the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) and Combined Higher Secondary Level (CHSL) examinations, to recruit personnel for Group 'B' (Non-Gazetted) and Group 'C' (Non-Technical) posts in various central ministries and departments. The SSC connects directly to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), as the two bodies collectively handle the bulk of central government recruitment, with the UPSC focusing on Group 'A' posts and the SSC on the implementing-level posts. The functions of the SSC were redefined by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on May 21, 1999, with the new constitution coming into effect on June 1, 1999.
Recently, significant reforms have been introduced to the recruitment mechanism. The SSC has shifted all its examinations to the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode and introduced an e-Dossier system for digital transmission of records. The most notable change is the reduction of the recruitment timeline, which earlier stretched between 15 and 18 months, to a target of six to eight months. Furthermore, the SSC has implemented a 'Sliding Mechanism' to automatically offer vacant posts to the next eligible candidates on the merit list, ensuring that vacancies are filled and not carried over to the next cycle.