Civil servants and public employees look forward to the day of salary increase
Talking to Lao Dong, Ms. Ha Thi Thanh Nga - a teacher at a high school (Hai Phong City) said that a salary of 15 million VND/month would be appropriate if this was the starting level.
According to Ms. Nga, fixing this salary level for all professional titles and tasks will not be promising. This salary is not enough to raise 2 children, especially families with children going to university is not enough.
"The important thing is to pay salaries according to capacity, not equalize. This is the way to keep talented people" - Ms. Nga emphasized.
Similarly, Ms. Bui Ha Minh - currently working in a ward of Hai Phong City hopes that the proposal to increase salaries soon will come true.
"For those who are new to the profession for 3-4 years, the salary of 15 million VND/month is called temporarily stable. However, for those who are married and have 2 young children, this salary causes many difficulties because there are many expenses to spend" - Ms. Minh frankly shared.
Ms. Minh said that during the months when she was not sick, her 2 young children also needed an average of more than 10 million VND. If there are any arising issues, the amount will also increase.
The basic salary of VND 2.34 million per month applied from July 1, 2024 has helped people like Ms. Minh who have officially entered the civil service for the past 3 years earn an income of VND 6.5 million/month.
"My current salary is not enough for me to buy half a tael of gold, but compared to before the increase in the basic salary, my current income is better. Many of them work at agencies and have worked for more than ten years and only earn 8.9 million VND/month" - Ms. Minh expressed.
Increase salaries to attract and "keep" talented people
Regarding the proposal to increase salaries for civil servants and public employees, Dr. Nguyen Viet Cuong - Independent Member of the National Salary Council; Lecturer at the International School, Hanoi National University said that when determining the minimum wage, in addition to the salary level, it is necessary to ensure the minimum living standard for employees, and it is also necessary to consider the payment capacity of employers.
Similarly, the salary for civil servants and public employees also needs to ensure the standard of living for employees and be considered based on the payment capacity of the state budget.
To determine the appropriate salary for civil servants and public employees, Mr. Cuong commented that it is necessary to count and analyze the average salary of current civil servants and public employees, how does it compare with the salary in the labor market?
Accordingly, the salary of civil servants and public employees must be equivalent to or even higher than the average salary in the labor market.
According to data from the Statistics Office, the average income of workers in the third quarter of 2025 is 8.4 million VND/month, an increase of 124 thousand VND compared to the second quarter of 2025 and an increase of 748 thousand VND compared to the same period in 2024.
Sharing some solutions to support salary increases for cadres, civil servants, and public employees, Dr. Nguyen Viet Cuong proposed. First, the basic salary multiplied by the salary coefficient must be guaranteed not to be below the minimum wage for each region.
Second, the salary level needs to be determined to suit the position, capacity, and work results of the employee.
Third, salary adjustment needs to depend on the state's ability to pay the budget.
According to Dr. Nguyen Viet Cuong, the salary in the labor market is determined by the law on supply and demand and regulations on the minimum wage. Determining the appropriate salary for civil servants and public employees will be somewhat more complicated.
"If the payment is low, there will not be enough qualified officials, but if the payment is too high, it will affect the budget. For example, in the same job position, if companies outside the public sector have paid a salary of 15 million VND/month but civil servants and public employees only receive a salary of 8-10 million VND/month, they will tend to look for work outside, or will have to find other work outside of work" - Mr. Cuong pointed out the reality.
The implementation of personnel reduction and merger is also a factor to consider to increase salaries for civil servants and public employees. Total income needs to depend on educational qualifications, skills, seniority, as well as work results.
In addition, in order to attract and retain talented people in the public sector, Mr. Cuong said that in addition to ensuring appropriate salaries for workers, it is necessary to build a clear working environment, creating opportunities for workers to develop and improve their qualifications.
