A 2-year service extension to several public service sectors

The government has decided to grant a two-year service extension to senior and professional level officers in the state sector, and they will have the opportunity to further extend their service as needed thereafter, a senior government official stated. This new decision includes medical specialists, scientific services, and other specialized service employees who have recently experienced a severe decline in staff.

This step has been taken with the aim of retaining officers essential to the public service, and since this is not a mandatory process, only officers who wish to remain in service can apply for it.

The official pointed out that while many people are willing to join general services, the response is very low when applications are called for recruitment to specialized services, including technical sectors. As a result, a staff shortage has been created in many essential state institutions such as the Government Analyst's Department, and consequently, many important duties are being delayed. Recently, when applications were called for 100 vacancies in the Government Analyst's Department, only a small number, about 70 applications, were received.

Due to the number of retirements exceeding new recruitments, the staff in many state institutions has decreased, causing severe inconvenience to the public seeking services. Currently, there are approximately 120,000 vacancies across the entire state sector, and the government plans to fill them expeditiously.

In addition, the Police Department is also currently facing a severe staff shortage, with over 40,000 vacancies. Taking this situation into consideration, the senior official further stated that the government will take steps to provide a two-year service extension to police officers in the initial phase.

This service extension for public sector officials is being implemented at a time when the government's attention is also focused on extending the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges. However, this preparation to extend the age of judges is facing strong opposition from various parties and has currently become a controversial issue.