The Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed a major overhaul of Vietnam’s civil service structure, aiming to eliminate the long-standing concept of ngạch (civil service grades) and replace it with “job positions” (vị trí việc làm) under the latest draft amendment of the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants.

From Articles 42 to 46 in the newly released draft, all provisions related to civil service grades have been removed. In their place, the law now proposes a framework for assigning civil servants based on specific job positions.

Under current law, ngạch refers to a hierarchy that reflects the capacity, expertise, and qualifications of a civil servant. These include titles such as Senior Specialist, Principal Specialist, Specialist, Officer, and Staff, among others, as regulated by the Government.

The revised draft defines “job position” as the title or specific duty assigned to a cadre or civil servant, aligned with the functions, responsibilities, and organizational structure of the respective agency or unit.

Civil service job positions will be categorized as follows: leadership and management, professional and technical, and support and service. For support and service roles, agencies may opt to sign labor contracts instead of appointing civil servants.

Job positions will be ranked based on several criteria, including the standards of each title, job descriptions, and the structure of the agency or institution within the systems of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and other political and social organizations at the central, provincial, and local levels.

Career movement under new structure

The reassignment of civil servants to new job positions is outlined in Article 31 of the proposed amendment. Specifically, promotion to a higher-ranking position will be done through competitive exams or evaluations, replacing the current system of grade-based examinations (e.g., Specialist to Principal Specialist).

Reassignment to an equivalent or lower-ranking position will be decided by the managing authority, or by the employing agency under a delegated hierarchy.

Upon changing job positions, civil servants will receive salaries and benefits based on their new roles. The government will regulate the details of this new pay system.

Recruitment of talent and experts

Article 19 of the draft law also allows agencies to hire talented individuals, experts, and scientists under labor contracts to carry out professional and technical duties. This move is seen as an effort to modernize and diversify the public workforce in response to evolving needs.

The amended Law on Cadres and Civil Servants is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for review during its May 2025 session.

Nguyen Thao