The government has issued Decree 361/2025 detailing the principles, sequence, procedures, and approval authority for establishing civil servant job positions.

The decree promulgates a framework list of job positions across administrative bodies. Specifically, administrative agencies and organizations at the ministry and provincial levels include 89 leadership and management positions, along with 690 specialized professional civil servant positions within ministries and provincial-level agencies.

It also specifies 22 support and service civil servant positions within administrative agencies and organizations at the ministry and provincial levels.

In provincial-level offices of National Assembly delegations and People’s Councils, there are 28 civil servant positions. Meanwhile, there are 44 civil servant job positions within administrative agencies and organizations at the commune level.

Based on the framework list of job positions and on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structures of each entity, the agency employing civil servants is responsible for determining the specific job positions used within its own organization. It must develop a job description and a competency framework for each job position using the prescribed templates, and determine the proportion of civil servants to be arranged for each position.

The decree also provides regulations on civil servant rank classification and the proportion of civil servants allocated by job position.

At the ministry level, the proportion of senior specialists in departments and equivalent units performing in-depth advisory functions on state management in each sector must not exceed 40% of the headcount quota. For departments and equivalent units carrying out general advisory work or advising on internal administration, the cap is 30%.

For Type-1 departments (cuc loai 1), the ceiling is 25% of the headcount quota, and for Type-2 departments (cuc loai 2), it is 35%. For ministerial offices, the cap is 20%.

Regarding the proportion of principal specialists and equivalent ranks in departments and equivalent units, those carrying out in-depth advisory functions on state management in each sector must not exceed 40% of the headcount quota. For units performing general advisory work or internal administration advisory functions, the cap is 50%.

For Type-1 departments, the proportion must not exceed 40%, and for Type-2 departments it must not exceed 50%. For ministerial offices, the cap is also 50% of the headcount quota.

At the provincial and commune levels, heads of specialized agencies under provincial People’s Committees are classified at the senior specialist rank.

For deputy heads, the decree stipulates that the proportion placed in the senior specialist rank must not exceed 50% of the total number of deputy heads across all specialized agencies of the province.

Specialized agencies under the province may be considered for classification at the principal specialist rank, with the proportion not exceeding 50% of the total civil servant headcount quota of each agency.

For specialized agencies at the commune level, the decree provides that the leadership and management position of the head is classified at the principal specialist rank or equivalent, at a 100% rate.

Deputy heads are classified at the principal specialist rank with a proportion not exceeding 50% of the number of deputy heads across all specialized agencies at the commune level.

As for the proportion of civil servants arranged in the specialist and equivalent ranks, the associate rank and equivalent, and the staff rank, the remaining share applies to the remaining number of civil servants.

Approvals must be issued no later than July 1

A civil servant assigned to a specific job position will be classified at the corresponding rank for that position.

For professional and technical civil servants, rank classification by job position must be based on the job description and competency framework of the relevant position.

A civil servant appointed to a leadership or management role as a deputy head of an agency or organization (not applicable to positions such as vice minister and equivalent), or as the head or deputy head of subordinate and affiliated units within an agency or organization, must meet the requirements of the corresponding professional and technical job position rank used by their agency or organization when being placed in ranks under this decree.

The rank classification by job position for leadership and management roles as the head does not apply to individuals assigned to act in the role on an interim basis.

The government requires that no later than July 1, ministries, sectors, central agencies, provincial People’s Committees, and provincial offices of National Assembly delegations and People’s Councils must direct implementation and issue decisions approving job positions to replace previous approval decisions.

While competent authorities have not yet issued job-position approval decisions under this decree, earlier job-position approval decisions may continue to apply.

The government also noted that no later than July 1, 2027, ministries, sectors, central agencies, and localities must complete the placement into job positions and the corresponding rank classification for civil servants recruited before July 1, 2025 who fall under their management scope.

Tran Thuong