Deputy PM Pushes Early Retirement Scheme With 12+ Times Pay
Deputy Prime Minister Pakon Nitprathan is pushing an early retirement scheme for Thai civil servants that would offer compensation of more than twelve times the monthly salary. The plan aims to cut the civil workforce by five percent each year, launching in fiscal year 2070 with an initial budget of seven billion baht. It also includes transferring staff from the abolished Land Bank Institute to the National Land Policy Committee to advance the One Map land‑mapping project.
Pakon Nitprathan, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, explained that the government is awaiting detailed proposals from relevant agencies before submitting the early retirement plan to the Cabinet, with the sole outstanding point being the compensation multiplier, which he wants set above twelve times the salary, pending discussion with the Finance Ministry. The initial eligibility would start at age 50, while those aged 40 and older could participate only if they have a compelling reason, such as needing to care for parents or suffering from illness, to be decided by their agency head. The scheme is expected to be rolled out in fiscal year 2070, targeting an annual five percent reduction in the civil service workforce; the first phase, also aiming for a five percent cut, would require a budget of seven billion baht, possibly sourced from central funds, with expenditures projected to decline in later years. Regarding human‑resource management after the dissolution of the Land Bank Institute (a public organization), the Cabinet has approved moving its 48 staff to the National Land Policy Committee under the Prime Minister’s Office, where they will join a special service unit to work on the One Map initiative—producing integrated state land maps. Once the One Map project is finished, the Cabinet will give its endorsement before relevant agencies adjust secondary‑legislation maps within 90 days, addressing a decade‑long delay. On the matter of cutting duplicate regional government bodies, the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission is studying the issue, stressing that any reductions must be gradual and part of a long‑term plan due to personnel and mission effects. On the progress of the workforce‑size‑reduction measure, at the October 8 meeting of the Multisectoral Committee for Open Public‑Sector Management (MSF), officials urged faster data linkage under the newly enacted Public Service Facilitation Act to use the information for handling complaints related to the environment, land encroachment, and official corruption, enabling agencies to share data and provide citizens with more streamlined services. Pakon added that, in the six months since he assumed the role of Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, he has fulfilled the government’s policy agenda across all legal topics.
