The Office of the Prime Minister has issued rationales behind the executive order to explore the feasibility of regularizing contract employees. According to the PMO, one of the compelling factors behind the recent executive order was considering the lengthy duration most contract employees have served in various positions, with some having worked on contract for more than a decade. The Cabinet Sub-Committee will now study contract employees in all government agencies and ministries throughout the country.
As of today, there are about 5,000 individuals on contract in the civil service, of which, over 4,200 are on consolidated contract and the remaining on regular contract.
According to the Royal Civil Service Commission, 219 including non-Bhutanese contract employees have served for more than a decade as contract employees.
The Office of the Prime Minister says the prolonged tenure of these individuals in contract service indicates their enduring capability and effectiveness in their respective roles adding that these employees must, hence, be provided a sense of job security, without having to renew their contract at regular intervals.
The PMO further added that this measure is not solely a response to address the high attrition rate but a broader effort to bridge the gap in employment conditions and ensure a fair, rewarding, and stable working environment for all employees within the government framework.
Once the study concludes, the Cabinet Sub-Committee will present its recommendations to the Government, which will guide policy decisions concerning the regularization of contract employment.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Phub Gyem
