Deputy PM Backs Early Retirement Pay Over 12 Times Salary
Deputy Prime Minister Prakorn Nilphantharat said Thailand’s early retirement scheme for civil servants is nearing completion, with a desired payout of more than twelve times the monthly salary pending talks with the Finance Ministry. Eligibility starts at age fifty, while those forty and older need a compelling reason such as caring for parents or illness. The program aims to reduce the civil service workforce by five percent annually and could launch within fiscal year 70, backed by an initial seven‑billion‑baht budget.
Prakorn noted that details of the early retirement program are being finalized, with only the compensation level left to decide before submitting it to the Cabinet. He personally favors a payout of more than twelve times the monthly salary, but the final figure will be negotiated with the Finance Ministry. The scheme would initially cover civil servants aged fifty and older; those aged forty and above could join only if they have a necessary reason, such as looking after parents or dealing with a medical condition, subject to approval by their agency head. The goal is to cut the civil service workforce by five percent each year. The measure is expected to be operational within fiscal year 70, with the first phase funded by seven billion baht from the central budget and subsequent years seeing reduced spending.
Regarding human resources management after the abolition of the Land Management Institute, the Cabinet approved transferring its forty‑eight employees to the National Land Policy Committee under the Prime Minister’s Office, citing similar missions. The transferred staff will work on special‑service units, including mapping and updating state land boundaries in an integrated manner, known as the One Map project. If completed, the proposal will go back to the Cabinet for approval, after which relevant agencies must adjust legal maps within ninety days. Prakorn observed that, despite a decade of effort, the One Map initiative remains unfinished.
On the broader effort to eliminate redundant government bodies regionally, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) is reviewing the plan, emphasizing a gradual approach due to staffing and mission impacts. Meanwhile, the Multisectoral Forum for Public Service Administration (MSF) met on October 8 and urged faster data linking after the Public Service Facilitation Act took effect, so that information on complaints, environmental issues, land encroachment, and official corruption can be shared across agencies. This would prevent fragmented assistance, create a common database, and make it easier for the public to access government services.
Finally, Prakorn remarked that during his first six months as Deputy Prime Minister for legal affairs, he has fulfilled the government’s policy agenda on all legal topics.
