Thailand plans to extend civil servants’ retirement age from 60 to 65
The government plans to extend the retirement age for all civil servants from 60 to 65 in response to declining birth rates and the country’s transition to an ageing society.
Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Bowornsak Uwanno, discussed the progress of the study on extending the retirement age for civil servants, as assigned by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Bowornsak noted that the current retirement age in some civil agencies already exceeds 60. For instance, judges and prosecutors retire at 70, while university officials retire at 65.
The plan to raise the retirement age across the broader civil service, which includes several hundred thousand officials, is being studied by the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) and the Comptroller General’s Department.
The study focuses on data showing that the average life expectancy in Thailand is 70, while the birth rate remains lower than the death rate.
The study’s findings suggest that the number of working-age people contributing to the country’s productivity is decreasing. In addition, most civil servants currently receive pensions for around 20 years after turning 60, living up to approximately 80.
However, extending the retirement age is closely linked to demographic trends, the civil service workforce, and budget planning, meaning careful study is required.
Bowornsak added that the OCSC proposed gradually extending the retirement age over the next ten years, rather than implementing an immediate change, allowing officials time to adjust.
The deputy PM emphasised that the Comptroller General’s Department recommends calculating pensions based on the final salary at age 60. If pensions were calculated using the final salary at 65, the system would not be financially sustainable.
In an interview with the media yesterday, November 19, Bowornsak stated…
“The OCSC will meet with the Budget Bureau of the Ministry of Finance to work out the budget details, as this will have to be done sooner or later,
In ten years, the elderly population will outnumber those being born, and the working-age population will need to support one elderly person each, compared with the current ratio of two working people per elderly person,
The country cannot remain idle, and nearly all countries around the world are extending retirement ages. If nothing is done, fewer people will join the civil service over the next ten years, creating a shortage of officials.”
The deputy PM also noted that the private sector is expected to follow suit and extend retirement ages after the government acts.
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