Strengthening grassroots officials and ensuring the effective operation of local governments at both levels.

Timely placement and assignment of personnel.

Immediately after merging commune-level administrative units and operating a two-tiered local government system, Nghe An focused on arranging, assigning, and strengthening the team of grassroots officials to ensure the fulfillment of political tasks in each locality.

The province has issued 130 decisions on the transfer, acceptance, and temporary assignment of 9,939 personnel to the commune level; of which, 4,063 are for the Party, Fatherland Front, and mass organizations; and 5,876 are for the government. The commune-level staff basically meets the requirements, with 84.82% holding university degrees and 13.6% holding master's degrees.

The province has also consolidated leadership and management positions. To date, 3,139 out of 4,068 members of the Executive Committee have been appointed; 1,335 out of 1,356 members of the Standing Committee have been appointed; and all 390 permanent members of the Party Committees and 396 Vice-Chairmen of the People's Councils and People's Committees at the commune level have been appointed. This is an important step to ensure stability and smooth operation in leadership and management at the grassroots level.

In reality, many localities have been flexible and creative in arranging personnel, effectively utilizing the existing workforce. In Dong Hieu commune, instead of assigning two accountants to the Party, Fatherland Front, and mass organizations, the locality only assigned one general accountant, with the remaining staff allocated to strengthen the specialized work of the Fatherland Front.

More importantly, the local authorities prioritize selecting officials not only based on educational qualifications but also on competence, reputation, and understanding of the local area. Civil servants who previously worked in the three communes before the merger were assigned to the Public Administrative Service Center, where they were familiar with the work and the local area, fostering trust and closeness with the people.

Comrade Tran Khanh Son, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Hieu commune, said: The locality has built a flexible mechanism, establishing working groups to "work together," "rely on self-reliance," and primarily rely on its own strength to decisively resolve unexpected and difficult issues. This approach promotes a spirit of initiative, solidarity, and mutual support among cadres and civil servants; each person, in addition to their main expertise, also undertakes a number of specific tasks within certain periods. Thanks to this, the commune successfully organized the first Party Congress, while ensuring the quick and efficient resolution of tasks serving the people, including unforeseen tasks such as overcoming the impact of typhoons No. 5 and No. 6 and the outbreak of African swine fever in the area.

The experience in Dong Hieu commune confirms that streamlining the administrative apparatus will be effective when coupled with a sense of responsibility, practical capabilities, and the collective strength of officials, civil servants, and non-specialized personnel.

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To ensure the successful fulfillment of political tasks, the locality has built a flexible mechanism and established working groups with a mindset of "working together," "self-reliance," and relying primarily on its own strength to focus on resolving unexpected and difficult issues.

Comrade Tran Khanh Son - Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Hieu Commune

In Van Kieu commune, due to a shortage of dedicated staff, the local authorities assign one person to handle multiple tasks, and reassign them if they are found to be unsuitable.

Comrade Tran Van Sao - Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, affirmed: "If assignments are unsuitable, they must be adjusted immediately, combined with attention to ideological work to ensure that cadres feel secure in their work. We also hold direct dialogues with the people about obstacles in issuing land use right certificates, thereby creating high consensus. Despite the shortage of cadres, we do not let work become stalled. This experience confirms that streamlining the apparatus will be effective when accompanied by flexibility, a sense of responsibility, and close ties between cadres and the people."

Personnel "gap"

Despite proactive efforts, the current situation regarding the staff of officials and civil servants at the grassroots level presents some shortcomings. Comparing the total of 8,635 existing positions (as of September 15th) with the central government's allocated quota of 7,988 positions, the province currently has a surplus of 647 positions.

However, localized staffing imbalances are occurring in many areas; some places have excess personnel compared to the allocated quota, but lack certain important or specialized positions. In particular, 56 out of 130 units are experiencing both staffing shortages and a lack of certain important and specialized positions, mainly concentrated in mountainous and disadvantaged communes.

In Nga My commune (formed by the merger of the former Xieng My and Nga My communes), there are currently only 44 officials and civil servants, leaving a shortage of 17 positions, including 11 in the government sector and 6 in the Party and Fatherland Front sectors. Many key positions remain vacant, such as: Head of the Economic Department; Deputy Head of the Culture Department; Deputy Director of the Public Administrative Service Center...

Comrade Lo Thong Nhat - Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of the commune - frankly stated: "We have deployed and assigned 9 non-specialized cadres to the departments and offices, but this force only provides support and cannot yet assume the responsibilities of civil servants, affecting the quality of advice and the organization and implementation of tasks."

In Bac Ly commune - an area not subject to merger - the entire commune currently has 28 out of 43 staff positions, with 15 positions still vacant. These vacant positions include: Deputy Head of the Party Committee Office, Chairman of the Farmers' Association, Secretary of the Youth Union, etc.

Comrade Lu Quang Hung – Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of the commune – said: “The shortage of personnel forces us to take on multiple roles, assign responsibilities, and put pressure on a few individuals. This significantly affects the progress and effectiveness of political tasks.”

Not only is there a shortage of key personnel, but many places also have inadequacies in terms of qualifications and professional expertise. Currently, many localities are lacking personnel in accounting, information technology, digital transformation, public administration in the fields of land, justice, etc.

In many communes, a localized surplus and shortage of personnel is occurring. Some communes have a surplus of staff but a shortage of specialized personnel and key positions. For example, Hoa Quan commune, despite having 7 more staff positions than the allocated quota, is currently lacking 6 important positions, including: Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee; Vice Chairman of the People's Council; Head of the Culture Department; Deputy Chief of the People's Council and People's Committee Office; Chairman of the Veterans Association; and Secretary of the Youth Union.

A comprehensive, long-term solution is needed.

To address the issues arising from the shortage of personnel at the grassroots level, the province has recently decentralized the authority to assign and second personnel to local levels, while also accepting qualified civil servants and non-professional workers to supplement local staff. The province has also compiled a list of at least 5% of officials from various departments and agencies to be assigned to disadvantaged communes.

That's a temporary solution, but in the long term, building a team of grassroots officials requires a systematic strategy. Suggestions from the grassroots suggest that the province should continue to review, supplement, and strengthen personnel at the commune level, paying particular attention to key positions and crucial areas. Simultaneously, emphasis should be placed on training and development to create a team of "multi-skilled" officials capable of handling multiple fields within a streamlined organizational structure.

A fundamental solution is to further decentralize personnel management to the grassroots level, including recruitment, utilization, and deployment, linking the responsibility of local Party committees and governments to practical performance, following the motto: "Local authorities decide, local authorities act, local authorities are responsible." At the same time, it is crucial to identify and nurture young, qualified, and dedicated non-professional cadres to ensure timely recruitment and development.

Strengthening the grassroots cadre is an urgent requirement and a long-term strategic task, linked to the sustainable development of the province. When each grassroots cadre is truly competent, reputable, responsible, and committed to the people, then the two levels of local government will truly operate smoothly and effectively, contributing to the rapid progress of localities in particular and Nghe An in general, becoming a new growth pole of the country.