The Bhutanese Leading the way.
A total of 908 civil servants have separated from the civil service in the last six months from January to June 2025.
Out of the 908 who got separated, 634 voluntarily resigned, which means a majority of them would have likely gone for studies or personal opportunities abroad.
103 completed their contract, 100 retired, 26 died, 15 were terminated as administrative action, 13 were compulsorily retired and 17 saw their contracts being terminated as they were regularized because they made it through BCSE.
Of the 634 who resigned, 2 were from the executive category, 404 from the professional and management category, 204 from supervisory and support and 24 operational staff.
In terms of professions, the largest group being separated from the civil service are the education and training services group with 249, followed by administration and support services group with 77 and then medical and health services group at 75.
Architectural, Engineering and Land Services Group lost 61 people, Finance and Audit Services Group saw 24 being separated, Agriculture and Livestock Services Group lost 22, Laboratory and Technical Services Group and Forestry and Environment Protection Services Group lost 19 each, Sports and Youth Services Group lost 18, Human Resource Services Group lost 17, Legal and Legislative Services Group lost 13, Trade, Industry and Tourism Services Group lost 12 and ICT lost 8 people among others.
The data above shows that the civil service is still losing skilled people albeit in lower numbers than in 2024 and 2023 so far.
Bhutan lost the largest number of civil servants in 2023 at 5,202 and so in the first six months of 2023 the total was 2,953 separated with 2,253 voluntary resignations.
In 2024 the numbers went down dramatically when only 2,013 were separated and comparatively in the first six months of 2024 around 976 were separated with 804 voluntary resignations.
When one looks at the past years, the numbers separating and resigning in the first six months has come down slightly compared to 2024 and significantly compared to 2023, but over a longer period the number is still quite significant.
While 908 civil servants separated from service between January and June 2025, there are 1,155 new recruits joining the civil service during the same period.
Apart from separations, 203 civil servants in the same period took Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL).
Bhutan lost 5,202 civil servants in 2023 of which 3,728 were voluntary resignations.
This is compared to 2,646 separations in 2022 with 1,686 voluntary resignations, 1,504 separations in 2021 with 939 voluntary resignations and 1,084 separations in 2020 with 570 voluntary resignations, 1,614 separations in 2019 with 579 voluntary resignations, 925 separations in 2018, 782 separationsin 2017, 656 separations in 2016, 472 separations in 2015 and 442 separations in 2014.
