New state employees to get 10% pay hike with effect from May
Newly recruited civil servants will receive a 10% pay raise in May this year and again next year, which will effectively take their pay to 18,000 baht per month from the current 15,000 baht per month, Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said on Wednesday.
Parnpree, in his capacity as the Civil Service Committee chairman, said that the raise would start as scheduled in May, right after the fiscal 2024 budget bill would be enacted in April, after it had been approved by the Cabinet last year.
The move, proposed by the Civil Service Commission, aims to raise salaries of junior level government officials and state employees by 10% for two years to offset rising cost of living.
The hike will ensure a starting salary of 18,000 baht for newly recruited civil servants and corresponding upward adjustments in the pay of existing civil servants, with priority for those whose salaries are under 18,000 baht.
State employees at expert level, or “C9”, and above will not receive the salary adjustment, said Parnpree, who is also the deputy PM.
Thailand uses Common Level standard, or C, to rank the levels of state employees based on their qualifications, duties and salaries. There are 11 levels in total (C1 to C11).
Parnpree added that the salary adjustment in fiscal 2024 would use a budget of 5-6 billion baht from the central budget earmarked for emergency expenses. The adjustment in 2025 will use over 10 billion baht from the annual expenditure budget.
He added that the salary adjustment would be implemented concurrent with increasing the working efficiency of state employees and reducing the size of workforce.
Parnpree said he believed the government would be able to fulfil its promise of raising the starting salary for bachelor’s degree holders to 25,000 baht per month in four years, but this would be dependent on the economic situation and state's revenue collection.
