Deputy Prime Minister: The basic salary is expected to increase by approximately 8% from July 1st.

On the morning of March 9th, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra attended a meeting with voters and candidates for the 16th National Assembly in electoral district No. 1, Lao Cai province.

This constituency has five candidates. Voters listened to brief introductions of the candidates' biographies, and each candidate presented their proposed action plan if elected to the 16th National Assembly, while also offering opinions, suggestions, and aspirations.

One of the issues of concern to voters is the salary reform policy. According to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra, this is not only an issue for voters in Lao Cai but also a common desire of voters nationwide.

Wage reform applies not only to the public sector but also to workers in the private sector. The reform must be implemented according to a roadmap that aligns with the country's economic conditions, financial resources, and budgetary capacity.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that if reforms continue, organizational structures are streamlined, and the growth model is innovated and economic growth is boosted to a higher level, budget revenue will improve, creating favorable conditions for salary reform in the future.

Therefore, the wage adjustments over the past period have been implemented cautiously, step by step, surely, effectively, and in accordance with the capabilities of the economy.

To date, the basic salary for officials, civil servants, and members of the armed forces has increased by approximately 58%. However, compared to practical requirements and the living standards of workers, this salary is still low. For the private sector, the minimum wage is also adjusted annually, but generally still does not fully meet actual needs.

Authorities are currently reviewing the implementation of Resolution 27 to report to higher authorities on the next phase of salary reform.

"Initially, starting from July 1st, the basic salary will be temporarily adjusted upwards by approximately 8%, along with adjustments to pensions, benefits for war veterans, support and allowances for social welfare beneficiaries, and social retirement support and allowances," she informed.

Salary adjustments will be considered based on budgetary capacity, while ensuring a balance, harmony, and reasonableness between the salaries of officials, civil servants, public employees, and members of the armed forces with the benefits for retirees, meritorious individuals, and social welfare beneficiaries, in order to ensure social progress and equity.

In addition, the government is also continuing to research and improve the bonus mechanism linked to work performance, creating a source for agencies and units to evaluate and classify performance according to KPIs, ensuring that salaries and bonuses are paid to the right people for the right work and improving the efficiency of the system.

The goal is to reduce administrative procedures by approximately 60%.

Regarding voters' opinions on improving the quality of operations of public administrative service centers, especially at the commune level, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the two key aspects of administrative reform are building and perfecting institutions and reforming administrative procedures.

Prior to the implementation of the two-tiered local government model, the entire country had reduced and simplified approximately 30% of administrative procedures compared to 2024. This result reflects the significant efforts of agencies within the administrative system.

Following the implementation of a two-tiered local government system coupled with decentralization, delegation of power, and delineation of authority, the volume of tasks and administrative procedures at the commune level has increased significantly. According to the summary, the number of administrative procedures at the commune level has increased by approximately 108% compared to before July 1st. Meanwhile, the number of administrative procedures at the provincial level has also increased by about 30%.

"Without continued strong reforms, the burden on the grassroots level will be enormous and could make it difficult for people to handle administrative procedures," said Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tra.

In the coming period, the Government will continue to focus on cutting and simplifying administrative procedures to the highest possible level, with the goal of striving to reduce administrative procedures by approximately 60%.

Another important solution is to adopt a model for handling administrative procedures that is independent of administrative boundaries, allowing citizens to complete procedures at any location that is more convenient for them.

She argued that it is necessary to focus on upgrading information technology infrastructure, ensuring connectivity and data exchange between ministries, departments, and localities, and building a national database system and shared specialized databases.

Administrative procedure reform also aims to ensure openness and transparency, and prevent harassment and inconvenience caused to citizens by those implementing the procedures during the process of resolving their issues.

In addition, the government is also studying the diversification of public service delivery methods, not only within the public sector but also expanding to organizations, individuals, and businesses that meet the criteria to participate.