The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) has laid out a comprehensive vision to strengthen Bhutan’s civil service, addressing challenges from performance management to technological adaptation. The RCSC Annual Report 2024-25 emphasizes reforms designed to enhance efficiency, cultivate leadership, and prepare the civil service for the opportunities and challenges of the future.
Since 2015, Bhutan’s civil service has used a mandatory bell curve system to evaluate staff performance, aiming to promote excellence. The RCSC report now proposes moving away from the “Partially Meeting Expectations” category to encourage higher standards, while also warning against complacency that could arise if accountability weakens.
To foster a culture of high performance, the RCSC plans to replace annual appraisals with regular reviews, including goal-setting sessions, ongoing feedback, and transparent data sharing. This approach aims to motivate staff, develop skills, and ensure performance standards are clear and measurable throughout the year.
Transforming the civil service from a hierarchical, process-oriented system to a results-focused, agile organization remains a priority. The report calls for a corporate culture centered on efficiency, citizen focus, and strategic alignment, alongside refined incentive structures that reward innovation and high performance. The ultimate goal is a civil service that contributes actively and effectively to national development.
Leadership development is a central pillar of the reform agenda. The RCSC emphasizes nurturing entrepreneurial, forward-thinking leaders capable of guiding change and building high-performing teams. Leadership and talent development programs will continue to ensure that the civil service is equipped with capable leaders ready to meet evolving national and global challenges.
Recognizing AI’s transformative potential, the report underscores the need for civil servants to develop foundational and advanced AI skills. Currently, AI usage is limited to research and drafting, but the government has introduced guidelines for ethical AI use and plans comprehensive training programs. The aim is to enhance decision-making, resource management, and citizen services through technology.
The civil service has faced rising mid-career resignations, largely driven by pension rules allowing early access after 20 years of service. In response, the government has raised the eligibility threshold to 23 years. While this is a short-term solution, the RCSC highlights the need for sustainable, long-term strategies to retain experienced professionals.
Recruiting and retaining skilled personnel, particularly in sectors like health, engineering, and ICT, remains challenging. Many professionals leave for better opportunities, creating talent gaps. To address this, the government plans to diversify recruitment through campus programs, internships, and mid-career development initiatives, while improving workforce planning and promoting mobility to ensure the right skills are in the right places.
Looking forward, the civil service will adopt the “Diamond Strategy”, a blueprint for modernization and growth. The strategy emphasizes operational transformation, meritocracy over seniority, innovation, and an entrepreneurial approach to governance. Civil servants will be encouraged to challenge traditional mindsets, collaborate more effectively, and embrace new ways of working to support Bhutan’s vision of a knowledge-based, resilient economy.
To better understand employee departures, especially related to attrition, the RCSC instituted exit interviews for all separating civil servants, capturing insights on workplace experience, leadership, career growth, and reasons for leaving. Analysis of 497 responses received by June 30, 2025, indicated that further studies accounted for 29.38% of separations, superannuation or contract completion 21.93%, better opportunities 14.29%, work-life and family reasons 13.07%, and only 1.6% cited the performance management system.
The RCSC report signals a bold, forward-looking agenda: a civil service that is agile, results-driven, and technologically equipped; a workforce led by visionary leaders and motivated by a culture of performance and innovation. Through these reforms, Bhutan aims to strengthen governance, retain talent, and position the civil service as a cornerstone of national development in the 21st century.
Sherab Dorji from Thimphu
