Ensure adequate arrangement of civil servant positions in communes and wards

After 3 months of operation, the two-level local government has recorded positive and progressive changes in many aspects: The organizational structure has been streamlined, administrative procedures have been shortened. However, in addition to the achieved results, the arrangement and streamlining have also revealed limitations, many localities are in a state of staff shortage, especially in key positions such as: Land administration, accounting, traffic... significantly affecting the operation process, work and rights of the people.

Many positions are lacking staff.

Although it has been in operation for nearly 3 months, the Yen Phu Commune Economic Department has not been able to fill the positions of some sectors according to the Human Resources Guarantee Plan at the commune level of the Ministry of Home Affairs . Mr. Do Duc Trong, Head of the Commune Economic Department, said: Currently, the department only has 6 officers to perform the task. The 6 missing positions include: public asset accounting, environment, industry and trade... Lack of workers, while the department's work still has to be done, there is no other way but for the brothers in the department to share the burden together. There are people who are not trained in the field but still have to do it, typically in the industry and trade sector - Mr. Trong explained.

Not only the Economic Department, the Cultural - Social Department, the Public Administration Center and the Party Committees of Yen Phu commune are also lacking staff to undertake the work.

The working group of the Department of Home Affairs worked with Bac Quang commune on the operational situation after 3 months of operation.

In Cao Bo commune, a series of important positions are also lacking officials. Comrade Nguyen Van Duong, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, shared: Currently, the commune's government alone is lacking 10 officials, including: Head of the Economic Department, Head of the Cultural - Social Department, traffic and construction officials; civil servants in internal affairs, civil servants in education, deputy military commander and assistant to the Military Command, information technology officers at the Public Administration Service Center... Chairman of the Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Duong said that due to the lack of people, many commune officials are having to hold 2-3 jobs at the same time, causing great pressure on officials and civil servants.

It is also necessary to frankly add that, in addition to the shortage, many localities have arranged enough job positions, if not to say excess, especially in special border communes or urban areas. In a recent meeting, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phan Huy Ngoc asked the question, is it possible that some officials are choosing the most convenient place to avoid hardship or staying in special border communes to enjoy higher benefits?

Clarifying the cause

In the report of the special working groups conducted by the Department of Home Affairs on the situation of the operation of the two-level government in 124 communes and wards under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, it was clearly stated that: After nearly 3 months of operating the two-level government, the staff and civil servants in the communes and wards are still lacking compared to the assigned number of staff, especially in key positions such as: Finance - accounting, land, information technology, military, health, education and some other specialized fields. These are key positions, having a direct impact on the effectiveness of state management and the quality of public service provision for organizations and people at the grassroots level.

In the context of the increasing workload after the implementation of administrative unit arrangement, many cadres and civil servants are forced to hold multiple positions, both to undertake their professional work and to shoulder the work of the vacant positions. High work pressure, while support conditions are not adequate, has affected the quality of advice, work efficiency and capacity to serve the people.

Notably, a number of cadres and civil servants have not been trained and developed in a timely manner according to their new job positions, leading to confusion in handling professional tasks, especially in areas requiring deep expertise and high accuracy such as accounting, land, education, etc.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, a specialist in the Economic Department of Cao Bo Commune, shared that she is currently responsible for 8 positions in 5 departments and offices of the commune, from allocation, disbursement, settlement... she is in charge of such a large amount of work that she has almost no days off. However, it is still impossible to complete the set progress. If support staff are not soon added, the work will certainly be delayed, affecting the activities of the commune and the rights of the people - Ms. Lan explained.

Lacking cadres in economic and social fields, many communes have not been able to arrange enough cadres for the Commune Military Command according to regulations, causing difficulties in implementing national defense and security tasks at the grassroots level, affecting the initiative and timeliness in combat readiness, defense and handling of arising situations in the area.

Comrade Nguyen Van Ton, Head of the Department of Local Government, Department of Home Affairs said: Along with the difficulties of lack of staff, the mechanism of decentralization and delegation of authority in management, appointment and transfer of staff, civil servants and public employees between levels has not been specifically regulated when implementing the two-level local government model, not to mention the lack of specific instructions.

This has led to confusion for the commune government in perfecting the apparatus, arranging and assigning appropriate personnel, creating gaps in management work, easily causing problems, affecting the unity and efficiency of the local government system.

Solution to the problem of staff shortage

Realizing the difficulties and obstacles in operating the two-level government, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have directed departments and branches to urgently establish working groups to grasp the situation and propose solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles to ensure smooth and effective operations. On September 9, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Document No. 7415/BNV-CCVC on the plan to ensure personnel at the commune level, in which it orients the list of job positions at the commune level to be implemented after the reorganization of the apparatus and implementation of the two-level local government.

Comrade Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Home Affairs, said: In the immediate future, the staffing adjustment at the commune level will be carried out by transferring within the communes (from the Party agency staffing to the government agency staffing and vice versa) within the total assigned staffing.

In addition, transfer cadres and civil servants between communes and wards with excess staff to communes with shortages; transfer civil servants with professional qualifications in the fields of finance, transportation, construction, land, education, science and technology, etc. between communes in accordance with the civil servant structure according to job positions, in accordance with practical tasks, ensuring the right person, right job, right professional expertise.

Completion date before October 31, 2025. Organize the review and transfer of cadres, civil servants, and public employees of provincial-level agencies and units to work as leaders, managers, and civil servants in fields at the commune level in accordance with job positions and missing specialties; sign labor contracts with people with expertise and skills. Along with that, the province also directed departments and branches to increase cadres to the grassroots to support communes and wards, and at the same time open training courses to improve the qualifications of existing cadres to meet job requirements...

For special communes, the province has implemented a secondment mechanism to enhance the responsibility of cadres when performing tasks at the grassroots level. According to the report of the Department of Home Affairs, by mid-September, a number of cadres from departments and branches were reinforced and seconded to support localities in performing tasks; even within communes and wards, cadres have been seconded and rotated flexibly to meet work requirements.

Comrade Do Anh Tuan, Director of the Department of Home Affairs, affirmed: In addition to the immediate solutions, the province also conducts the reception, examination, and recruitment of civil servants in accordance with the Government's regulations. Hopefully, these immediate and regular solutions will soon fill the job positions, ensuring that the grassroots government operates effectively according to the set goals.

Article and photos: Tuan Hung

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/thoi-su-chinh-tri/tin-tuc/202510/dam-bao-sap-xep-du-vi-tri-cong-chuc-xa-phuong-b223ef7/