BANGKOK, Thailand (ILO News) – Thailand’s Social Security Office (SSO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are working together to strengthen the capacity of SSO staff to strengthen social security provision in Thailand.

A workshop held in Bangkok on 2 May 2023 entitled Excellence in Social Security Staff Development helped promote the importance of training and development within the SSO.

Taking part were SSO’s Secretary-General Boonsong Thapchaiyuth and almost 50 key staff from different departments. They were joined by ILO experts as well as local and international experts who shared knowledge and experience in key areas. These included how effective staff development ensures that the SSO meets its objectives, different approaches to delivering training, how the SSO should assess the effectiveness of capacity building and the contribution of these efforts to support the recruitment and retention of staff. Participants also benefited from examples of outstanding learning and development offerings in the region and an overview of the findings on SSO’s training and development strategic framework.

“Good Human Resources and training are a hallmark of a good organization. Better training and development, resources and capacity within the institution will lead to more motivated staff, make it easier to attract and retain good employees, and lead to strengthened social security within Thailand now and in the future,” said Simon Brimblecombe, Head Regional Actuarial Services Unit, ILO.

Tanit Loipimai, Director of Research and Development Division, Social Security Office, reiterated: “Training will produce a huge impact both in the short and long term because if human resources have more capacity, they can work better, smarter, and be happier. This can make a huge impact on the development of the organization.”

The workshop is part of efforts to support capacity building and strengthen social security in Thailand through better policymaking and management under ILO’s Strengthening research and actuarial services in the Thailand Social Security Office (SSO) project.