We must break free from the 'staffing mindset'.

(Baonghean) - The Steering Committee and its working groups have proactively gotten involved early and implemented guidance on developing the job position plan with high determination. However, because this is the first time this has been implemented in Party agencies and socio-political organizations, the implementation process has inevitably encountered some difficulties...

Identifying difficulties

According to Comrade Vo Thi Minh Sinh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, the initial implementation of the Job Position Scheme faced numerous difficulties. The first difficulty was the lingering "struggle" to maintain staffing levels. Many units preferred to increase or at least maintain their current staffing levels, leading to inaccurate job descriptions and statistics; unscientific staffing determination; and even some localities doubted the necessity of the scheme, thus lacking genuine interest in its leadership and guidance.

Furthermore, during the project development and evaluation process, due to confusion and inconsistency in methods, approaches, and interpretations, many issues fell outside the authority of the project development unit, leading to numerous revisions and additions. Some agencies and units also made mistakes in determining job positions, the number of employees, and the structure of job categories, etc.

The second challenge in developing the plan is ensuring compliance with the three principles outlined in Central Organization Committee's Guidance 04 (building a streamlined, appropriate, stable, and effective organizational structure; contributing to and serving as a basis for downsizing the workforce according to Resolution 39...), while also ensuring scientific rigor. Meanwhile, the reality of assigning and utilizing cadres and civil servants without matching their training specializations and varying individual capabilities has created difficulties and impacts the classification of professional and technical work groups; and the determination of competency frameworks...

Officials and civil servants of the Cua Lo Town Party Committee discuss and carry out professional work. Photo: Thu Giang

The third difficulty is that the output of work from Party and mass organization agencies is not easy to quantify. They must simultaneously develop job classification lists and civil servant rank structures, while also determining specific staffing levels without a standardized formula for calculation... Therefore, many units easily get caught in a vicious cycle, lacking direction and failing to break free from the old ways to build a new "Job Classification System."

Reviewing shortcomings

In fact, during the review process to develop the employment plan in localities, the Steering Committee for the development of the employment plan discovered several shortcomings in the performance of functions and tasks by agencies. For example, Con Cuong district pointed out that within the Fatherland Front and other mass organizations, there is still a situation where no single organization takes primary responsibility for a task, yet when reporting results, many units claim it as their own achievement.

Some tasks between the organizing committee and the district Party committee office overlap. Some agencies and units have not fully performed their functions and duties, dedicating too much time to multiple responsibilities. Some individuals have unclear work statistics, vague outputs, and internal management within agencies and units still faces many obstacles, such as: unreasonable assignment of tasks to officials and civil servants, with no one taking primary responsibility for some tasks; poor time management and labor efficiency; and continued bureaucratization within socio-political organizations.

As one of the people directly involved in advising on the development of the Local Labor Code Project, Nguyen Cong An, Deputy Head of the Organization Department of the Do Luong District Party Committee, also stated: "Describing the specific tasks of mass organizations is difficult because there are 'unnamed' tasks, and some tasks arise at specific times rather than repeating daily, weekly, or monthly. However, through review, we can identify inconsistencies and lack of scientific approach in the assignment of tasks, allowing for adjustments and rational arrangements."

Some localities have suggested that in implementing personnel downsizing and establishing the job placement framework, factors such as population density, geographical location, natural conditions, the number of subordinate administrative units, the number of grassroots Party organizations and Party members should be taken into account, and that areas should be classified into specific groups such as ethnic minority areas and lowland areas, in order to ensure rational allocation and avoid assigning quotas indiscriminately.

Yen Thanh is one of the localities that did not meet the required 10% reduction in staffing by 2021, instead only aiming for a reduction of about 7% of the total allocated staff and implementing the staffing reduction roadmap from 2019 to 2021. Explaining this, Mr. Phan Huy Hai - Head of the Organization Department of the Yen Thanh District Party Committee said: “The district has a large number of administrative units including 38 communes and towns; a large population (nearly 280,000, projected to reach 300,000 by 2021), with 87 grassroots Party organizations and nearly 12,000 Party members (projected to reach over 13,000 by 2021), ranking third largest in the province.

"At the same time, this area also has many unique characteristics, so Party organizations, the Fatherland Front, mass organizations, and political training centers must have a sufficient number and quality of civil servants to meet the requirements of political tasks. Based on the actual situation in the locality, the proposed reduction is appropriate." In addition, compared to the total allocated staffing quota, the district still lacks 5 positions. Therefore, the district's plan is to recruit the remaining 5 positions from 2017 to 2018, and only begin the downsizing process from 2019 to 2021 to allow newly recruited civil servants time to familiarize themselves with the work and gradually replace the positions being streamlined," Mr. Hai added.

Resolute in the face of inevitable trends.

According to Comrade Vo Thi Minh Sinh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department: "The implementation of the job streamlining project and the reduction of personnel in Party agencies and socio-political organizations is difficult, but we must be determined to do it. This is an opportunity for us to gather and review all documents related to the functions, tasks, organization, structure, and personnel in the political system in comparison with reality. Through this, we will have a scientific database on accurate organizational structure and personnel."

At the same time, identify shortcomings in regulations regarding the functions, tasks, organizational structure, and staffing of agencies and units, such as inconsistencies in the number of deputy heads, the number of deputy heads of subordinate units, staffing quotas, and overlapping, duplication, or omissions in tasks between departments/divisions; accurately assess productivity, working time, and the quality of advice provided by collectives and individuals…”.

Currently, the province has completed the Provincial-level Job Selection Scheme and submitted it to the Central Organization Committee for appraisal, along with the Job Selection Schemes of all 38 districts, cities, towns, agencies, and units. If approved, the Job Selection Scheme will have initial feasibility such as: clearly defining the functions and tasks of each department to avoid overlap, reorganizing the organizational structure of departments, and reducing the number of departmental levels; clearly defining the political standards and professional qualifications for each job position and specific job titles; clearly defining the job description for each position; accurately and convincingly evaluating and classifying cadres on a monthly and annual basis; thereby facilitating the streamlining of personnel and ensuring implementation in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 39-NQ/TW of the Politburo.

In the coming period, the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department will continue to advise the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee on determining a suitable roadmap for restructuring and streamlining the organizational apparatus and reducing the workforce. At the same time, it will direct and guide the implementation of monthly evaluation and classification of cadres and civil servants based on their work performance; implement recruitment, training, and evaluation of cadres and civil servants according to job positions; and promote the application of information technology and administrative reform in directing, managing, and operating, as well as managing data on Party building work.

Furthermore, the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department also requested strengthening the management and utilization of personnel quotas, and strictly implementing personnel reduction according to the "two out, one in" regulation. However, the most important thing is that agencies and units, especially their leaders, must break free from the mindset of "clinging to personnel quotas" and recognize that developing a job placement plan and reducing personnel is an inevitable trend to streamline organizational structures and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of state management.

Khanh Ly - Thu Giang