Thai Cabinet Approves Civil Service Reform, Freezing New Posts and Phasing Out 11 Support Roles
The Thai Cabinet has approved a public workforce management reform to tackle high personnel expenditure, freezing new civil service positions and phasing out 11 support roles upon retirement.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- The Cabinet approved the public workforce management reform proposed by the committee on government manpower targets and policies.
- The measures include freezing all requests for new civil service positions and strictly controlling overall workforce expansion.
- Eleven categories of support staff positions will be phased out upon the retirement of incumbents starting from the 2027 fiscal year.
On August 11, 2026, at Thailand Government House, Ms. Rachada Dhnadirek, Deputy Government Spokesperson, announced the results of the Cabinet meeting, stating that the Cabinet approved the guidelines for reforming public workforce management proposed by the committee on government manpower targets and policies, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Pakorn Nilprapan. This initiative aligns with the policy previously presented to the parliament, as current fiscal data shows that regular expenditures consist of 70 percent going toward personnel costs alone, leaving the government with the pressing need to allocate budgets for other vital national development missions.
Key implementation measures dictate that requests for new civil service positions must be suspended in all cases. Government agencies are required to freeze their workforce sizes, manage existing personnel, and recruit for vacant posts only as strictly necessary based on active competitive selection candidate lists or ongoing recruitment processes to control overall staffing growth. Furthermore, the Sub-Committee on Civil Service Commission (Sub-CSC) of each ministry must strictly enforce the specified operational guidelines.
Another major measure involves terminating academic and general-type civil service positions that become vacant due to retirement in the 2027 fiscal year. These vacant posts, which were previously permitted to be replaced by government employees according to the workforce management framework for 2026-2020, will no longer be substituted from fiscal years 2028 through 2032, except for medical and dental positions within the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Public Health and correctional facility personnel.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Additionally, positions in 11 support job categories that do not strictly require the civil service employment framework will be phased out once the incumbent holders retire, starting from the 2027 fiscal year onward, covering the following roles:
- General Administrative Clerks (central administration only)
- Public Relations Officers
- Communications Officers
- Audio-Visual Technical Officers
- Library Technical Officers
- Dredging Mechanics
- Printing Mechanics
- Photographers
- Artisan Technicians
- Librarians (except for the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture)
- Announcers and News Reporters
Public workforce reform through hiring freezes and the gradual elimination of support roles upon retirement represents a strategic effort toward government rightsizing to mitigate long-term fiscal burdens. However, the primary operational challenge lies in managing workloads within government agencies, which will require integrating digital technologies and outsourcing models effectively to ensure public services and administrative efficiency remain uncompromised.
All government agencies are also mandated to review their roles, missions, and structural organization to match the workforce limits imposed by the hiring freeze without impacting operational efficiency or public service delivery. The Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) is tasked with developing policy proposals such as early retirement schemes and measures to delay higher-level position allocations, while responsible agencies must draft specific proposals regarding outsourcing support and enhancing public sector efficiency through digital technology.
“This reform of public workforce management will enhance the efficiency of state administration, support the government in utilizing personnel budget expenditures cost-effectively, establish an organizational structure and workforce size appropriate for roles and missions, and integrate digital technology to boost operational efficiency in alignment with the country's current situation.”
Ms. Rachada Dhnadirek, Deputy Government Spokesperson
Source: Khaosod Politics
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