Following the recent administrative merger and adoption of a two-level local governance model, the city reports that commune-level government structures have been gradually consolidated and stabilized. The staffing in 168 wards, communes, and special zones has largely followed central directives and has been implemented in a timely manner.

The officials transferred from district- and city-level departments to commune-level units have shown strong capabilities, contributing to more effective administration and service delivery.

Work overload and structural limitations

Despite these improvements, commune-level authorities in HCMC are facing significant challenges, especially the work overload stemming from administrative mergers and staffing quotas.

HCMC now governs a broader geographical area and a significantly larger population. As a result, work volume has increased substantially. With only five to seven civil servants per department on average, each officer must handle four to nine major responsibilities, often complex and labor-intensive, leading to frequent overwork and limited time for in-depth research.

Meanwhile, current staffing quotas remain inadequate for a major urban center like HCMC. The standard allotment of around 32 staff members per commune-level unit does not meet the needs of areas with high population density, industrial zones, security risks, and economic complexity.

Human resource quality is inconsistent. Many civil servants are assigned outside their areas of expertise, juggle multiple roles, lack experience, or face difficulties applying digital technologies.

While remuneration and income policies have improved, they still lag behind the private sector in a mega-city like HCMC, making it difficult to attract and retain officials and civil servants.

Proposed solutions 

To promptly address these issues, the HCMC People’s Committee has implemented various solutions within its authority. City Party Committee, People’s Council, and People’s Committee leaders have conducted inspections, listened to recommendations, and directed functional agencies to resolve issues on-site.

Notably, the city has established three dedicated task forces for public investment disbursement, each led by a vice-chairperson of the HCMC People’s Committee, to address issues directly and promptly.

The city regularly organizes training conferences on laws, skills, and professional expertise (both in-person and online), and compiles standardized professional guidance materials, particularly in fields like land, construction, justice, civil registration, and digital transformation.

Interactive channels (digital platforms, online groups, hotlines) have been established to help commune-level officials and civil servants quickly access professional information and enhance skills.

Local authorities frequently direct departments to dispatch civil servants and public employees to localities for guidance and support. Notably, the Department of Construction plans to dispatch nearly 600 civil servants to the 168 wards, communes, and special zones to strengthen personnel for managing construction order.

The HCMC People’s Committee proposes that the Ministry of Home Affairs and competent authorities urgently allocate official civil servant quotas and consider issuing preferential policies to attract talent to the commune level.

It has requested the Ministry to advise the Central Steering Committee and Politburo to allocate civil servant quotas for wards, communes, and special zones without distinguishing between Party, Fatherland Front, mass organizations, and government quotas.

Based on the allocated quotas, the People’s Councils of wards, communes, and special zones would decide the specific allocation for each agency or unit, tailored to local realities.

Additionally, the city proposes increasing the number of vice-chairpersons for commune People’s Committees with populations of 50,000 or more, up to a maximum of three; amending Decree No150/2025/ND-CP to increase the number of deputy heads for three specialized departments, and allowing commune People’s Committee chairpersons to decide the number of deputy heads per department.

The city needs an additional five to seven dedicated civil servant positions to manage state management tasks related to construction order, urban order, and sidewalks at the commune level, assigned to the Economic Department or the Economic, Infrastructure, and Urban Department.

The other proposal includes amending Decree No118/2025/ND-CP to designate the director of the Public Administrative Service Center as a dedicated civil servant (equivalent to a department head) instead of having a commune People’s Committee vice-chairperson concurrently holding the role, ensuring continuous and thorough management of the center.

Thu Hang