What do you think about the plan to reduce the number of civil servants?

This year the government will hire 1,300 new civil servants to fill posts at the central and provincial levels. This number is smaller than in past years, as the government says it does not want its departments to be overstaffed but instead to become more efficient and less wasteful. From now on, the number of new hires will correspond to the number of officials retiring. Vientiane Times asked for opinions on this move.

Mr Bounnam, a government official in Xaythany district, Vientiane: In my opinion, this is a good policy. We have too many civil servants at present which costs the government a lot of money, not only in salary payments but also in social welfare and allowance outlays. If there were fewer government workers, more money would be available for the improvement of roads, public transport, and healthcare. I think it’s important to ensure that government officials are fully employed and can multi-task, instead of hiring more and more people.
 
Ms Kham, a volunteer in Oudomxay province: I think this is a good move because it shows the government is trying to cut unnecessary expenditure, but I think it could have a detrimental effect on some sectors, such as education. Where I live, I know some volunteer teachers who have been working for several years without a salary. They do this in the hope of eventually being given an official position by the government. But if they remain volunteers for much longer, some may stop teaching and look for work in a private school so they can earn a decent wage, which means children in state schools will suffer.
 
Ms Laddavanh, an employee in Vientiane: I think that reducing the number of civil servants has both good and weak points. I think it makes sense to do this in Vientiane and the larger provinces because they already have an excessive number of government workers, with too many people employed for the amount of work that needs to be done. But if the number of civil servants is limited, it means that some people who are currently working as volunteers in rural areas may never get an official position. This could cause long term problems for the sectors that don’t have enough civil servants.

Ms Viphavanh Sommanyvong, a government official in Borikhamxay province: I think it makes sense to reduce the number of government employees as it will ease the burden on the state budget. The exact number of new recruits next year will be determined by the Prime Minister but I think the government should allocate new staff in line with the real needs of each sector. Some people wait to become a civil servant for years and people who work on a volunteer basis may move to the private sector if they are not given an official position soon. This may lead to serious problems in the future. It’s important that the government take a case-by-case approach and carefully consider the recruitment process so that new civil servants are hired in ways that are fair and transparent. 
Mr Bounsavad, a resident of Vientiane province: At first glance this seems like a logical move but I think that as well as reducing the number of civil servants the government should take a careful look at the number of people employed in each ministry. Some ministries have too many staff while others don’t have enough. I think the number of civil servants in each ministry should depend on the workload. Hiring should be based on the actual needs of a department, so that offices are not filled with people doing nothing. This way, the government would have more money available for development purposes.

By Lamphone Pasanthong
(Latest Update April 8, 2022)