Yangchen C Rinzin

The 12th Five-Year Plan staffing and organisation structure review resulted in removal of 228 messenger (GSP) positions.

The review also merged the position of dispatcher, telephone operator and receptionist as one position, according to the Royal Civil Service Commission’s annual report 2020-2021.

It was found that the work of these three positions can be delivered by one employee with the utse of ICT.

The merging of positions has reduced 260 such positions.

The report stated that the civil service agencies’ staffing exercises were conducted to allow the Commission to rationalise human resource numbers against the standard operating procedures and agencies’ mandates.

The staffing exercise was to align staff requirements with organisational mandates and increasing demand for efficient delivery of public service.

The staffing reviews until 2025 were done for eight ministries, 25 agencies, 20 Dzongkhags, and four Thromdes.

“It aims to examine existing staff numbers and the requests for additional staff based on the human resource standards protocols,” it stated.

The staffing exercise has also reduced the position of HR officer, planning officer and finance officer in some dzongkhags from two to one because two employees with the same position in one dzongkhag were found not to be optimally utilised. A total of 19 positions were reduced in this category.

“The 12th Plan staffing provides the HR requirement and projection on the entire civil service which will facilitate the projections of HR requirements in the years to come,” the report stated. “This is critical for our recruitment plans and preparations for succession planning.”

The report stated the 12th Plan staffing showed that there was an overall net decrease of 106 positions compared to the 11th Plan staffing. This indicates that the requirement of civil servants has stabilised except the staffing trend for teachers and medical professionals.

“While reviewing the staff, there were challenges like RCSC kept receiving constant restructuring proposals with requirements of additional manpower,” it stated. “The challenges include a change in policies and upgrading of socio-economic structures for education and health sector, which are HR intensive.”

However, although staffing exercise was conducted, there were many ad-hoc requests for additional staffing in different ministries, especially due to the pandemic.

Some of the ad-hoc recruitments approved this year were recruitment of substitute teachers on consolidated contracts for contract teachers on six month-maternity leave. The Commission has also approved the fast-tracking of B.Ed regular appointment on June 1 instead of July 1.

The Commission also approved the post creation for two thromde health officers for Thimphu and Phuentsholing. A three-year diploma course in medical entomology and parasitology was approved at KGUMBS.

A total of 39 different medical professionals were approved to facilitate the increased service delivery requirement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The contract extension of laboratory officer was approved at the national referral hospital to facilitate pandemic services.

Edited by Jigme Wangchuk