Why do talented people quit their jobs?

The High-Quality Human Resource Development Project (Project 922) has been implemented in Da Nang since 2006. To date, 460 participants have graduated, of which 375 are currently working in agencies and units under the city's administration. 40 have resigned, accepting compensation from the city.

After graduating, they were not assigned suitable jobs.

Along with the human resources attracted through talent recruitment policies, the trainees of the program have quickly filled both the quality and quantity gaps in the public administration system.Most student assessment agenciesdynamic, innovative thinking,They are able to adapt to work quickly and efficiently due to their thorough training.

However, according to the Da Nang Department of Internal Affairs, currently 207 trainees have been recruited as civil servants and public employees; 60 have been appointed to managerial positions. More than 100 graduates are working under contract."The majority of the 40 talented individuals who resigned were working under contract," said Mr. Vo Ngoc Dong, Director of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Civil servants in Da Nang working at the one-stop service center. Photo:Nguyen Dong.

The fate of trainees working under contract is also uncertain, as administrative units are required to terminate contracts under such circumstances. "Trainees may be transferred to public service units. However, they won't be able to contribute to administrative management, which is not aligned with their learned expertise. Even if they transfer to a public service unit, they're not guaranteed a permanent position to apply for," shared a female trainee preparing to leave her job.

According to this person, transferring trainees to public service units is contrary to the spirit of the original contract – which stipulated placement according to the trainees' wishes and chosen professions. "When recruiting people for the program, there must be a plan for their employment after graduation to ensure they have jobs. But now, trainees are being pushed into this situation; they can't contribute even if they want to," she said.

From a management perspective, Mr. Vo Ngoc Dong shared that the difficulty in assigning trainees to the program lies in the overlap. Because, in parallel with sending trainees for training, the city also attracts talented individuals to work in positions that are currently understaffed. Therefore, there is a situation where graduates find themselves without jobs.

Administrative salaries are low and insufficient to live on.

A civil servant, after participating in a master's degree program abroad, returned to find that his previous position as deputy head of department had been filled by someone else. With a salary of around 5 million VND per month, he said he had to be very frugal with his spending. "Those who work under contract earn even less," he added.

To survive in the administrative environment, many trainees work during the day at government agencies and tutor in the evenings. "But imagine working eight hours a day, then working an extra three hours at night – not everyone has the stamina. You can't even concentrate on your main job at the agency," said one female trainee.

Having left the program to pursue a PhD, a person currently working in Ho Chi Minh City said that about 10 years ago, civil servants didn't place much importance on income. Now, many students go to study abroad, gaining access to a better environment and higher standard of living, and their peers in the same profession have attractive incomes, which has negatively impacted their mindset.

Recognizing this, Da Nang initially provided an additional 1 million VND per month to the trainees. However, this support was later discontinued due to regulations on the use of budget funds. This support was subsequently cut, even though, according to the city's Department of Internal Affairs, there was budget available to cover this expense.

Da Nang Administrative Center (circular building). Photo:Nguyen Dong.

Some trainees are hesitant when approaching administrative work.

Since 2004, Da Nang has been awarding scholarships starting from the university level. Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted was selected to identify outstanding students. Students participating in the program are guaranteed to become civil servants upon graduation.

However, according to the Department of Internal Affairs,Despite receiving thorough and in-depth training, most university graduates are hesitant in their initial steps into administrative work due to a lack of prior knowledge and skills. This prevents them from fully utilizing their knowledge and skills, negatively impacting their work efficiency.

Some trainees are unable to utilize their professional skills and abilities for the following main reasons: job assignments that do not match their specialization and strengths; inability to adapt to the administrative work environment; lack of trust and support from superiors; inadequate work equipment; lack of initiative; and failure to receive cooperation from colleagues.

According to the Department of Internal Affairs, in addition to the 40 talented individuals who quit their jobs, among the 47 trainees who violated their project contracts, 19 graduated but did not return to work, and 5 cases involved individuals who accepted jobs but did not complete the full 7-year working period as stipulated in their contracts.

"Many people who come to the city to work for 2-3 years confide in me that their skills have faded. Their foreign language skills and knowledge are hardly ever used because they spend all day working on official documents and paperwork. The working environment varies depending on the agency and the leadership. In places with young leaders, most are supportive, but in some units with strict leadership, trainees don't have the opportunity to showcase their abilities, which frustrates many," one trainee said.

Proposal to extend the refund period for job termination.

The story of legal action against talented individuals for breach of contract in Da Nang has dragged on for many years. The Da Nang Department of Internal Affairs stated that, for the past two years, according to state regulations on compensation for budget funds, trainees who violate the contract must reimburse the funds in a single payment. "Previously, they received 1 billion VND, but now they only have to reimburse 1 billion VND. The tuition fees the trainees received were taxpayers' money, so they must be reimbursed. Those who violated the contract still benefit because the currency has depreciated," Mr. Dong said..

Many students hope the city will have a plan to gradually reduce the reimbursement process after students have left the school.It is advisable to transfer talented individuals from the public sector to the private sector. This way, these talented individuals will not violate their contracts and can contribute more effectively to the city.This doesn't constitute a brain drain, as the trainee is still working in Da Nang or domestically.

"Outside the private sector, many companies are lacking the skills that graduates trained abroad can immediately fill. Many businesses in Da Nang are looking for employees with good foreign language skills but can't find them, so they have to recruit people from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at exorbitant salaries. Meanwhile, in Da Nang itself, these graduates can't find jobs," said one graduate.