Urban Development Law opens new mechanisms to attract talent, develop high-quality workforce

For the first time, the Urban Development Law has introduced a range of specific mechanisms for attracting, utilizing, and developing high-quality human resources with an open approach, giving urban authorities greater powers to attract talent through specific policies and regulations.

Cities are empowered to stipulate specific policies on income, salaries, bonuses, housing, residency, and necessary working conditions for high-quality personnel working in their areas.

“Rolling out the red carpet” for high-quality talent

Students at Lac Hong University practice in a specialized pneumatic room sponsored by Japan's SMC Corporation. Photo: Cong Nghia

One of the notable new features of the Urban Development Law is that it dedicates Article 38 to stipulating mechanisms for attracting, utilizing, and developing high-quality human resources. Notably, efforts to attract human resources are not confined to the public sector, with policies also covering experts, scientists, innovative businesses, digital technology personnel, and the startup ecosystem.

Accordingly, during discussions on the Urban Development Law, National Assembly deputies argued that if “attracting talent” remains merely a slogan without strong mechanisms concerning income, the working environment, and career development opportunities, it will be very difficult to bring about substantive change. Cities need a truly competitive mechanism to attract high-quality human resources, particularly in spearhead fields such as digital technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, urban planning, smart transportation, and modern urban management. These fields require not only skilled personnel but also flexible working mechanisms to unleash their potential.

Tokin Electronics (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. in Long Binh Ward, Dong Nai, during production hours. Photo: Nguyen Hoa

Under the latest provisions of the Urban Development Law, the municipal People's Councils stipulate policies for attracting, utilizing, and developing high-quality human resources and talented individuals working at agencies, organizations, units, and businesses in the cities, including policies on recruitment, training, fostering, income, salaries, bonuses, and other benefits, as well as policies on housing, residency, and necessary working conditions.

In addition, specific mechanisms are provided to attract and utilize experts, scientists, managers, chief engineers and chief architects, and people with high professional qualifications in fields prioritized for the cities’ development, along with policies for developing digital technology human resources and human resources in other key fields.

Increasing incentives to encourage talent to contribute

An aerial view of Dau Giay Industrial Park. Photo: Xuan Phu

One of the important conditions for cities to achieve rapid and sustainable development is their ability to attract, retain, and effectively utilize a high-quality workforce. Amid strong competition among cities for human resources, the Urban Development Law provides greater scope for cities to proactively formulate appropriate remuneration mechanisms and policies to attract talent to work and make long-term contributions.

Strengthening incentive policies should also be regarded as an investment in the future. A city with sufficiently attractive policies will attract a skilled workforce, thereby improving management quality, enhancing competitiveness, and creating greater value for the economy. Incentive policies must therefore be linked to work efficiency, the level of contribution, and the specific results delivered by talented individuals.

The Urban Development Law clearly states that the municipal People's Councils regulate policies and the use of municipal budget to provide support for and investment in facilities and equipment for key educational and training institutions in the cities, as well as social housing policies for officials, civil servants, and public employees in the cities.

Urban authorities decide on mechanisms to provide financial support for training and fostering activities aimed at improving professional qualifications, expertise, and vocational skills at domestic and foreign training institutions for officials, civil servants, public employees, and employees under the municipal management. They also invest in modernizing a number of key, high-quality colleges to meet regional and international standards in line with the development orientation of priority industries and professions and implement tuition support policies for learners pursuing key industries and professions, as well as industries and professions approaching advanced regional and global levels.

Attracting foreign experts and scientists

Students at Lilama 2 International Technology College practice using modern equipment.

Notably, the Urban Development Law paves the way for establishing specific mechanisms to attract experts, scientists, managers, chief engineers and chief architects, and highly qualified professionals in fields prioritized for urban development. Many experts consider this provision to be of special significance because, for a long time, efforts to "roll out the red carpet" for talent have faced difficulties due to the lack of a sufficiently strong legal framework.

In many cases, skilled experts, overseas Vietnamese, or international scientists wish to contribute to localities, but the mechanisms for recruiting and remunerating them are not yet attractive enough. Meanwhile, the private sector, or major technology centers around the world, are prepared to offer high incomes along with flexible working environments.

The Urban Development Law stipulates that foreigners who are experts, scientists, managers, innovative startup founders, individual investors in innovative startups, and highly qualified workers are supported in completing procedures for obtaining confirmation of exemption from work permit requirements or obtaining work permits and are considered for the issuance of visas and temporary residence cards for themselves and their family members in accordance with the law.

The municipal People's Committees stipulate the scope, fields, and conditions for supporting the issuance of confirmation of exemption from work permit requirements or work permits, as well as visas and temporary residence cards for eligible persons in accordance with regulations.

Workers at a high-tech enterprise.

Four groups of policies for attracting human resources

The Urban Development Law empowers the municipal People’s Councils to stipulate policies for attracting, utilizing, and developing high-quality human resources not only in administrative agencies and public service units but also in businesses in the cities.

These comprise four groups of policies: policies on recruitment, training, fostering, income, salaries, bonuses, and other incentives; policies on housing, residency, and necessary working conditions; specific mechanisms to attract and utilize experts, scientists, managers, chief engineers and chief architects, and people with high professional qualifications in fields prioritized for the municipal development; and policies for developing digital technology human resources and human resources in other key fields.

These are truly breakthrough and superior policies for human resource development today, serving the requirements of urban development in the new period.

By Hai Thanh – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha