Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, said that in recent times, Vietnam has been implementing many important policies to reform the administration, streamline the apparatus and improve work efficiency in the state system. One of the important strategies in this process is streamlining the payroll, which has had a strong impact on the workforce in the public sector.
Officials and civil servants leaving the state apparatus face considerable difficulties in changing careers and adapting to the private sector labor market. In this context, supporting workers to change careers effectively and sustainably becomes an extremely important and urgent task.
According to Prof. Dr. Lai Quoc Khanh, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the results of the workshop will be the starting point for the school in building research programs and supporting priority career transitions, contributing to enhancing the school's reputation and contributing to the management and social development process in the coming time.
Sharing at the workshop, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thanh Ha, Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, acknowledged that after 40 years of renovation, Vietnam has achieved many achievements in all fields. This is the theoretical and practical basis, the luggage to enter the new era, the era of national development.
However, the practice of innovation also shows that the deeper we go into the innovation process, the more difficulties we face, including the major challenge of the cumbersome apparatus of the entire political system, overlapping functions and tasks between agencies, not only leading to waste of resources but also giving rise to corruption and negativity. Therefore, the purification and streamlining of the apparatus of the political system is necessary.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thanh Ha emphasized that currently, Vietnam is spending nearly 70% of its budget on salaries, regular expenses, and operations, so only about 30% is spent on development investment, security, and defense. The political system is still cumbersome and overlapping; some ministries and branches still take on local tasks, leading to a request-grant mechanism, giving rise to negativity and corruption. The work of streamlining the payroll associated with job positions, improving the quality and restructuring the team of civil servants and public employees is still lacking in thoroughness. The campaign to streamline the apparatus since the end of 2024 has received the consensus and response of the whole society.
“Streamlining the organizational apparatus is not only an issue for Vietnam but also a common trend in countries around the world. In recent times, developed countries have accelerated the implementation of personnel reduction in the public administrative apparatus. Therefore, the above theories and practices urgently require innovation and arrangement of the apparatus to be streamlined - compact - strong - efficient - effective - efficient", Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thanh Ha said.
According to the Deputy Director of the Institute of Philosophy, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, streamlining the apparatus and reducing staff will contribute to improving the quality of cadres. Streamlining the apparatus of the political system will go hand in hand with screening and "retaining" cadres with capacity, good moral qualities, regularly renewing thinking, and being creative in their work. Accordingly, the number of personnel will decrease but the quality will increase, competitive pressure will motivate each individual to improve their professional qualifications, increase productivity and labor efficiency.
In addition, streamlining the apparatus helps reduce the number of unnecessary personnel, thereby reducing costs for salaries, benefits, and facilities. The saved financial resources will be invested in socio-economic development and solving social security issues.
MSc. Kieu Cong Thuoc, Chairman of VNFUND, said that career change for public sector workers is not simply a matter of finding a new job but also involves issues of support policies, skills training, adaptive psychology and the ability to integrate into the labor market outside the public sector. While many countries in the world have effective support policies and models, in Vietnam, this process still faces many challenges that need to be resolved.
According to Mr. Thuoc, the challenge in career transition in Vietnam today is primarily the limitation of career transition support policies. Accordingly, we currently do not have a mechanism to support financial support and specialized vocational training for public sector workers after the merger. The employment insurance system has not been highly effective for civil servants and public employees. Many localities do not have specific plans to retrain or reassign jobs for affected officials.
In addition, there are psychological and cultural difficulties. Many officials are used to the state working environment and have difficulty moving to the private sector. Many civil servants and public employees are used to stable salaries, while the private sector has higher pressure. Another challenge lies in internal job reassignment. Due to the merger leading to a surplus of human resources, many officials are transferred to positions that are not suitable for their expertise, leading to a decrease in work efficiency. Some positions are completely cut, forcing employees to find new jobs or accept early retirement.
MSc. Kieu Cong Thuoc acknowledged that the factors for success in supporting career transition include: early career orientation and in-depth counseling; support for training in new skills suitable for the labor market; financial policies to support career transition (subsidies, preferential loans, insurance funds, etc.); connecting with the private sector to create new job opportunities.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Nhan, Head of the Department of Science Management and Foreign Affairs, University of Commerce, the recent revolution in streamlining the apparatus has taken place very drastically.
After phase one, the Government now has 14 ministries and 3 ministerial-level agencies. Phase two is underway, with plans to cut 50% of provincial-level administrative units; reduce 60-70% of commune-level units (from 10,000 communes to 2,500 communes); eliminate the district level, switch to a 2-level government model, reduce 50% of provincial-level administrative units and eliminate district-level intermediaries. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs' projections, about 100,000 officials, civil servants, and workers will leave the public sector. This is a number that needs to be paid attention to.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Nhan cited the Navigos Group Talent Guide Survey in 2025, showing that the current labor market trends are placed in the context of dual impacts, including: the recovery period after Covid-19, the digital transformation revolution influenced by the fourth industrial revolution, the context of international integration is still taking place strongly despite many barriers. From this context, the two most obvious manifestations of changes in the labor market are presented. Firstly, occupations related to artificial intelligence, data analysis, and renewable energy have a rapid growth rate, creating a demand for labor associated with labor market trends. Secondly, the trend of sustainable employment development is also focused on in the policies of countries, including Vietnam.
Currently, the skill groups that businesses highly value from candidates include: Problem solving, Effective communication skills, Foreign languages, Analytical thinking, Collaboration skills, Adapting to change, Creative thinking, Persistence, flexibility and agility, Understanding of technology.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Nhan acknowledged that public sector workers after downsizing often have experience in management and working in a professional environment in the public sector; have skills in organizing and managing work, and solving problems systematically. Compared to the problem-solving skills that employers currently need, this is the strength of workers after leaving the public sector. Effective problem-solving and communication skills are also the strengths of civil servants, public employees and workers in the public sector, thanks to the process of providing public services to people and organizations.
However, the remaining skills, especially foreign languages, are also difficult for workers when leaving the public sector to enter the private sector. Regarding the ability to adapt to change - a capacity that businesses highly value when recruiting candidates, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Nhan assessed that people working in the public sector are often used to a stable working environment. This is also a difficulty and pressure when they enter the working context in the private sector, which has higher work pressure.
Sharing the story of personal career transition and ecosystem synergy, Mr. Bach Ngoc Chien, General Director of VOVINAM Digital Company, said that the lean revolution is inevitable for development. This is an opportunity to retain and develop high-quality human resources in the state apparatus.
Mr. Bach Ngoc Chien recommended that it is necessary to apply a personnel evaluation system in the state apparatus to encourage the contribution of high-quality human resources.
Talking about the issue of psychological support for workers to cope with the transition, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai, Director of the Center for Psychological and Social Research and Services, acknowledged that in reality, many public sector workers are falling into a state of crisis when having to change jobs, because they are looking for stability in their jobs and advancement in a relatively stable place.
In fact, it is not only at this point that workers fall into crisis. In the human life cycle, there are many times of crisis when facing difficulties and pain in life, and not everyone has the ability to always be confident. However, not being confident in these times does not prove that they are weak, incompetent or unworthy, and should not be in this position.
“From the perspective of a practicing psychologist, I think this is the time, the signal that they need help,” Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai said.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai analyzed that when change begins, many employees may feel anxious or shocked, finding it difficult to imagine the future. The reason is that at this stage, employees lack the necessary information to predict upcoming changes or understand their role in the "new" organization. Some individuals may feel happy, realizing that the need for change is recognized and shared by others, leading to a sense of relief that something will change.
Many people will feel scared or intimidated. Fear is a natural human reaction to the potential personal impact of change. Some may be in denial, acting as if the change has not happened. This is a coping strategy often referred to as “head in the sand” syndrome. Others may feel disillusioned, questioning the values, beliefs, and goals of the “new” organization. The potential risk is that employees may become unmotivated, distracted, and increasingly dissatisfied. They may begin to withdraw, perhaps by “quietly quitting,” complaining, or even resigning.
To take care of the mental health of workers - those affected by mergers, conversions or resignations, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai said that it is necessary to conduct career transition counseling based on the capacity, personality, resources that the individual worker has and resources from the organization or mobilized from a third party, from the labor market. At the same time, guide workers to proactively search and change jobs that suit their own conditions; train them in skills to proactively take care of their own mental health through emotional management, positive thinking and building a healthy lifestyle.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thi Hong Thai also proposed training to prevent psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, crisis, and depression for workers through effective coping strategies. Psychological support/therapy for those who are stressed, anxious, and in crisis due to being laid off or changing jobs.
People's Representative Newspaper:Challenges in career transition for public sector workers after downsizing
Author:People's Representative Newspaper
Newer news
Older news
