Why do talented people quit?

The project to develop high-quality human resources (Project 922) has been implemented by Da Nang since 2006. To date, 460 participants have graduated, of which 375 are working at agencies and units in the city. 40 people have resigned and accepted compensation to the city.

After finishing school, no suitable job was arranged.

Along with human resources from the talent attraction policy, project students have quickly filled the quality and quantity gap in the public administrative apparatus.Most agencies evaluate studentsdynamic, innovative thinking,Ability to approach work quickly and effectively due to proper training.

However, according to the Da Nang Department of Home Affairs, 207 students have been recruited as civil servants and public employees; 60 have been appointed as managers. More than 100 graduates are working under contract."The 40 talented people who resigned were mostly working on contract," said Mr. Vo Ngoc Dong, Director of the Department of Home Affairs.

The fate of students working under contract is also "precarious", because according to regulations, administrative units must terminate contracts. "Students can be transferred to public service units. But then they cannot contribute to administrative management work, which is not suitable for the major they have studied. Even when they return to public service units, they are not sure if they will have a position to take the exam", a female student who is about to quit her job shared.

According to this person, transferring students to public service units is not in accordance with the spirit of the original contract - they will be arranged according to the wishes and professions of the students. "When recruiting people for the project, there must be a plan to use them after graduation, to ensure they have jobs. But now students are forced into such a situation, they cannot contribute even if they want to," she said.

From a management perspective, Mr. Vo Ngoc Dong shared that the difficulty in arranging students for the project is the overlap. Because in parallel with sending students for training, the city also attracts talented people to work in positions where there is a shortage. Therefore, there is a situation where students graduate but there is no place to work.

Low administrative salary, not enough to live on

A civil servant, after participating in a project to study for a master's degree abroad, returned home to find that his previous deputy manager position was already taken by someone else. With a salary of about 5 million VND per month, he said he had to be frugal with his spending. "Students working on a contract basis have even lower incomes," he said.

To survive in the administrative environment, many students work for government agencies during the day and tutor at night. "But just imagine working eight hours a day and then working three more hours at night. Not everyone has the strength. They can't even concentrate on their main job at the office," said a female student.

Having left the project to pursue a doctorate, a person currently working in Ho Chi Minh City said that about 10 years ago, civil servants did not place much importance on income. Currently, many students studying abroad have access to a higher environment and standard of living, and friends in the same profession have attractive incomes, which affects their psychology.

Seeing this, Da Nang once supported students with an additional 1 million VND per month. But then it stopped because of regulations on using budget money. This support source was later cut, although according to the leaders of the city's Department of Internal Affairs, there was a budget to take care of this.

Some students are confused when approaching administrative work.

Since 2004, Da Nang has started to grant scholarships right from university level. Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted was chosen to search for excellent students. Students who participate in the project are automatically expected to become civil servants upon graduation.

However, according to the Department of Home Affairs,Although they are well-trained and specialized, due to lack of pre-public service knowledge, most university graduates are confused in their first steps in approaching administrative work, unable to fully utilize their knowledge and skills, affecting work efficiency.

Some students cannot develop their professional skills for the following main reasons: not being assigned to the right job in their field of expertise; not being able to adapt to the administrative working environment; leaders lacking trust and listening to opinions; inadequate working equipment; lack of initiative and lack of cooperation from colleagues.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, in addition to the 40 talented people who quit their jobs, among the 47 students who violated the project contract, 19 graduated but did not return to work, and 5 cases received work but did not fully perform the 7-year working period as stated in the contract.

"Many people who have worked in the city for 2-3 years confided to me that they are stuck in their careers. They hardly use foreign languages ​​or knowledge because they spend all day doing paperwork. The working environment depends on each agency and leader. In most places, young leaders create favorable conditions, but in some units, the leadership is difficult, and students do not have the opportunity to express themselves, causing many people to feel frustrated," said one student.

Proposal to extend the refund schedule when leaving the job

The story of suing talented people for breach of contract in Da Nang has been going on for many years. The Da Nang Department of Home Affairs said that in the past 2 years, according to the State's regulations on compensation for budget money, students who violated the law must pay back one time. "Previously, they received 1 billion, now they only have to pay back 1 billion. The tuition fees that students have received are people's tax money, so they have to pay back. Those who violated the contract still benefit because the currency has depreciated," said Mr. Dong..

Many students want the city to have a roadmap to delay refunds when students have left, in addition toTalent should be transferred from the public sector to the private sector. That way, talent will not violate contracts and can contribute better to the city.This is not a brain drain either, because the student still works in Da Nang or domestically.

"Outside the private sector, many units are lacking in occupations that students trained abroad can do immediately. Many businesses in Da Nang are looking for human resources with good foreign language skills but cannot find them, so they have to recruit people from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with sky-high salaries. Meanwhile, in Da Nang, students cannot work," said a student.