Thailand’s government is running a public consultation through August 5 on a plan to cut the country’s combined civil service, military, and police workforce from more than three million to two million people, according to several news sources. Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt outlined the proposal this week, framing it as part of a broader push to modernize the bureaucracy and rein in rising personnel costs. The consultation period, which opened July 22, has already drawn more than 8,000 responses in its first three days and over 10,000 participants overall.
A summary of public recommendations is due to reach the cabinet by mid-August, according to several news sources. Separately, the government plans to ask the cabinet early next month to approve a freeze on the total number of civil servants, military personnel, and police officers nationwide.
Under the plan, positions left vacant through retirement or dismissal would be eliminated where no longer needed, while roles considered essential would be kept following a review by the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission. Officials are also considering allowing government agencies to bring in outsourced staff to support digital transformation efforts, at a proposed ratio of one outsourced worker for every five employees who take the early retirement package.
The voluntary retirement scheme itself would apply to two groups of civil servants: those aged 50 or older, or with at least 25 years of service, and those aged 40 to 49 with a minimum of 10 years on the job. The consultation is asking the public to weigh in on lump-sum payments worth between eight and 12 times the relevant base salary amount, and on whether people who accept the package should be barred from returning to any government position afterward.
The push to shrink the civil service has been building for weeks. Pakorn has previously said the reform responds to rising recurrent government expenditure, which has left less money available for investment and public assistance programs. He has also pointed to advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence as reducing the need for certain traditional roles, including some clerical and typing positions, and has said the changes are intended to align Thailand’s public sector with standards promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as the country shifts toward digital government.
The proposal has drawn pushback from academics who study Thai governance. Some warn that offering early retirement to civil servants as young as 40 risks a “brain drain,” since younger, more capable staff are the ones most likely to have private-sector options and take the buyout, leaving agencies with less skilled personnel. Others argue that reform should start by reviewing which government functions are actually necessary and rightsizing staff to match that need, rather than cutting headcount first and figuring out the workload later.
For now, the plan remains under public consultation, and the specific numbers could shift before it reaches the cabinet. The eight-day comment period continues through August 5.
