Early retire bid 'cannot wait'

Pakorn defends civil service reforms

The government's proposal to expand voluntary early retirement for civil servants is needed to tackle long-standing structural problems that can no longer be postponed, Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt said on Wednesday.

He said the proposal is not intended for all officials aged 40 and above, but is expected to focus primarily on those aged 40-45, taking pension and gratuity entitlements into account.

He said encouraging older officials, particularly those aged 50 and above, to retire early would be less practical because many would struggle to switch careers. "Changing careers is not easy, especially in the AI era," he said. "Many people are already losing jobs because of technological disruption, so the question is how they can be upskilled and reskilled."

Mr Pakorn said the challenge is not unique to Thailand, as rapid advances in artificial intelligence and digital technology are reshaping labour markets worldwide. Some university graduates have adapted by becoming entrepreneurs, using AI and social media to support small businesses. However, he said older workers often have greater family responsibilities, making career changes more difficult. For that reason, the government will maintain the principle of voluntary participation.

"If someone chooses to resign voluntarily, it means they have already prepared a path forward, and they should be allowed to pursue it," he said, adding that preliminary estimates suggest more than 10,000 civil servants could qualify for the programme, although the figure remains under review.

He said any early retirement scheme would require careful preparation, including upskilling and reskilling, to help participants adapt to future labour market demands. "This is not something that will happen overnight," he said. "It requires careful planning."

Responding to criticism that the proposal is unrealistic, Mr Pakorn said delaying reform would only worsen the problem. "If we don't act today and wait another 10 years, the problem will become even bigger and future generations will have to deal with it," he said. "These problems did not just emerge recently -- they have accumulated over many years."

The proposal to allow civil servants to take early retirement continues to spark debate, with academics warning the plan may be misguided and could create new social and economic challenges.

Satithorn Thananithichot, political science lecurer at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of political science, said setting the threshold at 40 is excessive. He said that while budget concerns drive the idea, civil service salaries are relatively low, meaning the fiscal burden is not as heavy as perceived.

The bigger issue, he said, is what happens after retirement. "If people leave the system, will there be jobs or businesses to absorb them? The real problem lies in the inefficient use of civil servants, not their numbers as such. Many officials are tied up in routine, regulation‑heavy tasks that do not generate economic productivity,'' Mr Satithorn said.

Instead of cutting staff, he suggested redistributing workloads. The remarks come as the government studies a major overhaul of the civil service to curb rising personnel costs and modernise the bureaucracy.