THIMPHU — When Tshering Yangki joined what is now Bhutan’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment as a program officer in 2022, new responsibilities began to pile up fast.
A governmentwide restructuring drive launched the previous year soon led to the exit of a number of senior officials. They were then joined by a bigger exodus of staff tempted by the potential of higher salaries — even for menial jobs — in Australia, which was just reopening its border after COVID. The person who Yangki reported to left town, as did that official’s superior.
