Vietnam aims to cut state personnel by at least 20 percent through restructuring

This initiative focuses on streamlining the state administrative sector and public service units to enhance efficiency and reduce redundancy, according to a government report recently submitted to the National Assembly.

To facilitate staff downsizing, the government has issued 21 out of 22 decrees that define the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structures of 14 ministries, two ministerial-level agencies, and five government-affiliated bodies.

This legal framework ensures synchronized implementation of the restructuring plan, which officially began on March 1 this year.

The government and the prime minister have directed ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and government-affiliated bodies to reorganize and streamline their structures in accordance with approved plans.

Key outcomes of the restructuring include the complete dissolution of all 13 general departments, a 77.6-percent reduction in departments (519 units), a 91.7-percent cut in sub-departments (3,303 units), and the elimination of 203 public service units.

The government has assessed that the new organizational structure for the 14th-tenure administration (2021-26), as well as the internal arrangements of ministries and related agencies, has primarily followed guidance from the Politburo, the Party Central Committee, the central steering committee for state apparatus restructuring, and other competent authorities.

The restructuring adheres to the principle of 'one agency performing multiple tasks, and each task assigned to only one lead agency.'

District-level administration to be dissolved by July 1

At the local level, specialized agencies under provincial People’s Committees have been reduced by 29.1 percent (343 units), while district-level agencies have seen a 17.5-percent decrease (1,454 units).

These reforms are in line with Resolution 60 of the 11th Party Central Committee Conference, issued last month, which advocates for merging administrative units at the provincial and communal levels and eliminating the district-level tier to establish a two-tiered local government model.

Accordingly, all district-level administrative units are scheduled to cease operations by July 1, 2025, following constitutional amendments and revisions to the Law on Local Government Organization.

Under Resolution 60, the current personnel at the district and commune levels will be temporarily retained and reassigned to the newly reorganized commune-level administrative units.

Additionally, the current leadership and management staff of the district-level political system will serve as the core staff for the new commune administrations.