On December 1st, 2016, Faculty of Organization and Personnel Management organized a workshop “downsizing – challenges and solutions”. Presented at the workshop were Dr. Thang Van Phuc and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Van Tat Thu, former Vice Ministers of Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA); officials from MOHA departments, Ministry of Labor, Invalids, Social Affairs; public administrators from Thanh Xuan District People’s Committee, Hanoi; academics from University of Labor and Social Affairs and Haiphong University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Khien, former Vice President of National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), NAPA lecturers, staff as we as NAPA students.
The workshop witnessed discussions of practitioners and scientists on theoretical and practical issues of downsizing. The comments focused on the reality of downsizing in State agencies in Vietnam nowadays, the difficulties and challenges in the process of downsizing as well as solution to overcome them.
Most of the comments agreed that downsizing is not new but facing with various barriers in the implementation process. The biggest obstructions are a lack of scientific rationale of accurate determination of those people to be downsized; avoidance of confrontation in the implementation process; interests; and responsibility of the head of the organization.
Representatives put forward many macro and micro level solutions, focusing mostly on the following issues: apparatus reforms; completion of the projects of job position identification; enhancement of responsibility of the head of the organization; development of specific criteria for personnel assessment; reform of salary and benefits; performance-based block granting; and strengthening autonomy in financing and staffing in public service providers.
The opinions from the workshop would contribute to the theoretical and practical bases for recommendations to the state authorities concerning formulation of policies of and solutions for the downsizing targets set in Resolution No. NQ/TW on April 17th, 2015 of the Policy Bureau related to downsizing and restructuring public servants; contribute to the successful implementation of the objectives of the Master Program of public administrative reform in the period 2011-2020.
