Proactively arranging personnel to ensure smooth operation of commune-level governments

After nearly six months of operating under the two-tier local government model, Dong Nai Province has basically ensured a sufficient contingent of officials, civil servants and public employees for its 95 communes and wards, meeting the requirements for handling administrative procedures for citizens from the very first days of the transition.

Staff members of the Public Administration Service Center of Binh Minh Commune handle administrative procedure dossiers for local residents. Photo: Ho Thao.

However, practical implementation has also revealed certain difficulties, requiring more flexible and fundamental solutions in the time ahead.

 Assessing staffing needs and vacant positions

According to the Department of Home Affairs, the province currently has 4,768 officials, civil servants and public employees working at the commune level. In implementing Plan No. 96/KH-UBND dated September 17, 2025, issued by the provincial People’s Committee on reviewing and supplementing personnel to carry out tasks at commune-level People’s Committees, and Document No. 8197/UBND-KGVX dated October 23, 2025, issued by the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee on assigning personnel to commune-level People’s Committees, the Department of Home Affairs has urgently coordinated with the People’s Committees of 95 communes and wards to review outstanding staffing needs and vacant job positions. At the same time, it has worked with provincial departments, agencies, public service units, and mass organizations assigned tasks by the Party and the State to select and assign civil servants and public employees with appropriate professional qualifications to strengthen the grassroots level.

As a result, from July 1 to December 8, 2025, the province assigned an additional 368 civil servants and public employees to work at 95 communes and wards. Of these, 71 cases involved transfers and secondments under the overall plan of the provincial People’s Committee; 202 reassigned at the request of local authorities; and the Department of Agriculture and Environment alone seconded 95 public employees to support communes and wards in carrying out state management tasks in the fields of agriculture and environment.

At the 8th session of the 10th Provincial People’s Council, the results of personnel arrangements and the extent to which staffing needs have been met at the 95 communes and wards following the implementation of the two-tier local government model attracted significant attention from many deputies. In a written response to questions submitted to the session, Ha Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Home Affairs, stated that with a total of 4,768 officials, civil servants and public employees assigned to the 95 communes and wards to date, staffing has basically met the requirements for operating the administrative apparatus in the initial phase of the model transition. This has ensured that 100% of communes and wards have sufficient leadership personnel and professional civil servants to receive and process administrative procedures for citizens from July 1, 2025, without any disruption.

However, alongside the achieved results, the personnel arrangement at the commune level still faces a number of difficulties. Most notably, there remains a situation of localized shortages and surpluses among different areas. In central wards and communes with industrial parks, the workload has increased rapidly due to strong decentralization, while the adjustment of staffing levels from merged units has not kept pace with reality.

Doan Duc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the An Phuoc Commune People’s Committee, shared that in recent times, the locality has made efforts to implement tasks as directed by the province, basically ensuring smooth operations and better service for the public. However, following the administrative merger, the workload has been very heavy, while the number of officials with in-depth expertise in fields such as construction, finance and land management remains limited, resulting in considerable work pressure.

In addition, according to the Department of Home Affairs, many surplus officials following the administrative merger have yet to meet requirements in terms of digital skills and the handling of multi-sector administrative procedures. Meanwhile, human resources with in-depth expertise in fields such as construction, land management, finance and information technology at the provincial level are also limited, making it difficult to further reinforce staffing at the commune level. Moreover, the reassignment of officials between distant localities, especially those from the former Binh Phuoc area, continues to face obstacles related to housing and transportation, affecting morale and stability in officials’ personal lives. Some localities have also not been sufficiently proactive in reviewing and proposing on-site human resources, instead relying heavily on personnel transfers from the provincial level.

Implementing a flexible secondment mechanism

In response to this situation, in a written reply to Provincial People’s Council deputies’ questions at the 8th session of the 10th Provincial People’s Council, the Department of Home Affairs stated that it is advising the provincial People’s Committee to implement four key groups of solutions. Notably, these include a flexible secondment mechanism. Instead of rigid personnel transfers, the department will continue to review and second civil servants from provincial departments, agencies, and communes with surplus staffing to provide time-bound support for key localities facing excessive workloads. The goal is to reallocate human resources based on actual work volume rather than population size alone.

In addition, the province will expedite the absorption of eligible part-time commune-level personnel and qualified public employees into the civil service; organize the recruitment of administrative civil servants with priority given to understaffed specialties; and promptly implement support policies on housing, transportation and living expenses to help rotated officials feel secure in their work and commit to long-term service at the grassroots level.

At the recent 8th session of the 10th Provincial People’s Council, Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee, outlined a number of key solutions to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the two-tier local government model in Dong Nai. Regarding personnel work, the Chairman stated that the province will continue to review, rearrange and assign commune-level officials and civil servants in accordance with approved job positions, while also establishing mechanisms to mobilize and reinforce professional staff for localities with heavy workloads. In parallel, the province will step up in-depth training and capacity building by sector, focusing on key areas such as land management, construction, investment, and finance–budgeting for commune-level officials and civil servants.

With specific solutions clearly identified, Dong Nai is striving to ensure that each position is staffed with appropriately qualified personnel, not only meeting quantitative requirements but also enhancing the overall quality of the workforce. This, in turn, contributes to building a strong grassroots administration that better serves the needs of citizens and businesses.

By Ho Thao - Translated by Thu Cuc, Thu Ha