HCMC rolls out measures to support displaced public workers

Ho Chi Minh City is implementing initiatives to give employment opportunities for civil servants, public employees, and part-time staff who can't continue in their roles following the restructuring of administrative units.

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Officials at the Public Administrative Service Center of Xuan Hoa Ward in Ho Chi Minh City handle administrative procedure documents for residents.

At the end of June, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trinh, a 47-year-old part-time worker from An Phu Dong Ward in HCMC, was delighted to learn that the government had decided to temporarily prolong the use of part-time workers at communes across the country until just before May 31, 2026.

With a university degree in Social Work and nearly 14 years of experience in poverty reduction, labor, war invalids, and social affairs, Ms. Trinh is well-versed in the relevant policies and regulations, and is adept at each task. Having spent a significant amount of time closely working with each household and individual benefiting from the policy regime in her area, she expressed her commitment to fully dedicating herself to serving the community upon hearing about the extension of her working hours. She also stated her readiness to take on new responsibilities if assigned to continue her work.

Alongside efforts to extend the use of part-time workers, the Government issued Decree 170 at the end of June 2025, setting out regulations on the recruitment, utilization, and management of civil servants. Under the decree, part-time workers at communes may be appointed as civil servants if they meet specific qualifications and standards.

In addition to general eligibility criteria, these workers must have at least five years of work experience, be enrolled in compulsory social insurance, and be engaged in duties requiring professional and technical expertise relevant to the targeted civil service position.

Chairman Ho Minh Hoang of the People's Committee of Trung My Tay Ward in Ho Chi Minh City said that the ward has arranged part-time forces in old wards to positions appropriate to their expertise and profession. Trung My Tay Ward has a population of more than 126,000 people, according to regulations, the ward is allowed to arrange a maximum of 70 staff and civil servants.

According to Chairman Nguyen Minh Hoang, most of part-time workers have professional qualifications and are attached to the area. Therefore, Decree 170 stipulates many groups of subjects eligible for admission to work as civil servants, including part-time workers at communes. This is to create conditions for the ward to receive human resources with expertise and experience to serve the people.

Along with the part-time forces expected to end their duties, Ho Chi Minh City will streamline 20 percent of the payroll receiving salaries from the budget in the next 5 years. Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs Nguyen Bac Nam said that the city has implemented many solutions to connect and support career transition for staff, civil servants, and part-time workers after restructuring the apparatus and administrative units.

Specifically, the Department of Home Affairs has urged units to promptly assess capacity, needs, and career orientation; enhance training in knowledge, soft skills, and career guidance for personnel; and establish a two-way information system to facilitate the effective alignment of human resource supply and demand.

Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has also instructed agencies, units, state-owned enterprises, and economic organizations under the city's jurisdiction to collaborate on recruitment efforts, connect, and provide job support for personnel, civil servants, public employees, non-professional workers, and those who are no longer able to fulfill their duties due to the restructuring of administrative units.

Additionally, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has sanctioned a project aimed at supporting vocational training and career transitions; job referrals; and the purchase or lease-purchase of social housing for personnel, civil servants, public employees, part-time workers, and those affected by the reorganization of the political system in the city.

Consequently, the city is effectively enhancing its employment service system to engage in consulting and providing free job placements for those being transitioned out of the public sector while assisting employers in directly reaching out to candidates for interviews, capacity assessments, and placement into appropriate vacant roles.

Furthermore, Ho Chi Minh City has implemented a policy to subsidize new vocational training costs, averaging around VND5.6 million per person, along with support for meals and travel expenses.

In a bid to support job creation and ease the transition for affected workers, Ho Chi Minh City has introduced a loan policy offering up to VND300 million per person with a maximum term of 120 months. The city budget will cover 100 percent of the interest for the first five years.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the policy aims to ease worker anxiety and enhance the quality of human resources by integrating with training programs, career transitions, and skills development.

According to Director Pham Thi Thanh Hien of the Department of Home Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to arranging and assigning new jobs, the city is also focusing on addressing policies and benefits for officials, civil servants, public employees, and part-time workers who will not continue their work following the organizational and administrative restructuring.

As of June 30, Ho Chi Minh City has processed retirements and resignations in line with Decree 178/2024 and Decree 67/2025 for a total of 2,081 individuals, resulting in a cumulative payout of VND773.5 billion. In the coming time, the Department of Home Affairs will advise the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to submit a proposal to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council for a resolution on support policies for job creation loans for officials, civil servants, public employees, part-time workers, and laborers who leave their jobs after the restructuring of the city’s political system.

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