Improving the quality of civil servants

According to the agenda of the 49th Session, tomorrow morning (September 29, 2025), the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will give its opinion on the draft Law on Public Employees (amended). With many new provisions, the draft Law aims to improve the quality of public employees, including reforming the recruitment, use, and management of public employees according to job positions; and evaluating public employees in conjunction with improving the quality and results of task performance.

The draft law clearly stipulates that the recruitment, management, placement, and utilization of civil servants must be based on the requirements of the job position and the capacity and effectiveness of the civil servant's performance, and will not involve examinations or assessments for promotion to higher professional ranks. The shift to a job-based management method for civil servants, as outlined in the draft law, aligns with current public sector reform trends, meets the requirement of "strongly reforming the methods of recruitment, evaluation, planning, training, fostering, placement, and utilization of cadres, civil servants, and public employees within the political system," and provides a legal basis for implementing job-based salary payments in accordance with Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW (May 21, 2018); ensuring consistency with the provisions of the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants.

Furthermore, the proposed changes to the civil servant management method in the draft law also aim to enhance transparency and fairness in the recruitment, employment, and management of civil servants based on clearly defined tasks, capabilities, and actual work results, thereby improving the operational efficiency of public service units. Evaluating civil servants based on work performance will motivate them to strive every day, avoiding the situation where some civil servants work half-heartedly, simply going through the motions.

Furthermore, the draft Law clearly stipulates competitive examinations, open and equal selection processes, and methods for recruiting high-quality human resources. Public service units are free to choose recruitment methods suitable to their industry and field of activity, aiming for a professional and modern management model. If implemented correctly, this regulation will help recruit capable and qualified individuals. However, to prevent negative consequences, it is necessary to strictly regulate the recruitment process, enhance the application of information technology, and increase the accountability of those in authority in the selection and appointment of civil servants. Only then will the situation of selecting or appointing the "wrong" person not occur.

Thus, in addition to competitive examinations and selection processes, the draft law stipulates a method of "recruitment" for individuals such as experts, scientists , and those with exceptional talents and abilities. Diversifying recruitment methods as outlined in the draft law is necessary, enabling public service units to proactively recruit and select capable individuals who meet job requirements. However, a strict control and monitoring mechanism is needed, along with specific criteria and procedures for these recruitment processes to prevent abuse of the "recruitment" mechanism.

Beyond innovations in recruitment and management, the draft law also reflects innovations in the mechanism for evaluating civil servants. Accordingly, the draft law stipulates the principles, authority, and regulations for evaluating civil servants regularly, continuously, and quantitatively based on the results of task performance and the application of science and technology. This creates a mechanism for immediately screening civil servants who are deemed unsuitable for their duties, without having to wait for evaluation results for two consecutive years as currently stipulated. The authority to evaluate civil servants rests with the head of the public service unit or is delegated to the heads of subordinate or affiliated units; simultaneously, the Government is tasked with issuing a Framework of Evaluation Criteria for civil servants in public service units as a basis for public service units to develop their own evaluation regulations. This regulation aligns with the policy of promoting decentralization and delegation of authority, allowing units to decide on evaluation methods appropriate to their specific needs.

In reality, the evaluation of civil servants in our country has been largely superficial due to vague criteria, favoritism, and avoidance of responsibility. To ensure a truly effective evaluation and ranking of civil servants, avoiding general and subjective assessments, the government needs to direct the development of regulations that clearly define specific outcomes associated with each job position, with clear criteria and quantifiable metrics. The criteria for job completion and the satisfaction index of citizens and businesses should be used as benchmarks for evaluating civil servants.

Reforming the civil servant evaluation mechanism will create a competitive environment within the workforce, encouraging civil servants to continuously improve their skills and sense of responsibility in performing their duties. This will eliminate the "get in, don't get out" mentality among civil servants. As a result, it will enhance the professional skills of civil servants, improve the quality of public services, and meet the increasingly demanding requirements of society.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nang-cao-chat-luong-vien-chuc-10388214.html