What do you think about the government’s intention to reduce the number of civil servants?

The number of civil servants in Laos is equal to 2.4 percent of the population, which is considered high relative to other Asean countries, and the Ministry of Home Affairs plans to make cutbacks. The emphasis will be on better management and the employment of civil servants who are qualified for the job. Vientiane Times asked for opinions on this controversial move.
 

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 for the government 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 Phaimaniphone, a government official in Xaythany district, Vientiane: 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 actual needs of each sector. Some people wait to become a civil servant for years and people who work on a volunteer basis may look for work in the private sector if they are not given an official position soon, which could 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, and not based on nepotism as is so often the case.

Mr Samlan, a government official in Xayaboury province: 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 just hiring more and more people.

Ms Kham, a volunteer government worker in Oudomxay province: I think this is a good move because it shows the government is trying to cut unnecessary expenditure, but I’m afraid it may add to the number of people who are unemployed because of the large number of graduates looking for jobs each year. Lots of people want a government job because of the associated status, privileges and security, but in many government departments there are more officials than are actually required.

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 September 16, 2022)