"I chose an entry-level position to increase my chances," Hoai said, recalling the interview in late June. Seated beside her were nearly 10 other candidates. All were younger, more social media savvy, and had better foreign language skills. "Waiting for my turn, my palms were sweating, and my heart was racing," she said.

But when her turn came, Hoai regained her composure. Years of work experience and adaptable interpersonal skills helped her stand out. After two interview rounds, Hoai was selected. In early August, she began her new job with a starting salary of 8.5 million VND. "After almost 15 years of working, this is my first time in the private sector," she said.

Nguyen Thi Thoi, a one-stop-shop officer in Doi Ngo town before resigning under Decree 178. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Nguyen Thi Thoi, a one-stop-shop officer in Doi Ngo town before resigning under Decree 178. Photo courtesy of the subject.

In Bac Giang, 41-year-old Nguyen Thi Thoi also took a deep breath before an online interview with a German recruiter.

"I was offered a packaging position at a German supermarket chain," Thoi said. She will soon move abroad to work in a restaurant group.

Both Hoai and Thoi are former civil servants who recently resigned due to downsizing. Now, no longer young, they are embarking on new chapters in their lives.

Thoi previously worked for the Doi Ngo town (newly established Bac Ninh province). After 15 years, she found the work stable but lacking in growth potential. When Decree 178 on streamlining the administrative apparatus was issued, she submitted her resignation.

Previously, Thoi worked as an agent for an educational program, supporting students with online courses. Her husband also planned to expand their business and establish a family company after her resignation. "But I had a bigger dream," she said.

That dream stemmed from her eldest son's desire to study in Germany. Learning about a work-abroad program based on qualification transfers, she saw an opportunity for the whole family to move abroad, improve their income, and lay a foundation for their children's future.

Since the beginning of 2025, she and her eldest son have been learning German, later persuading her husband and younger son to join them. Her eldest son, having just graduated high school, is studying German to prepare for studying abroad. Her 11-year-old younger son will be sponsored to join them later.

The desire to leave government service had also been simmering in Thu Hoai, a propaganda official in Da Nang, but it was Decree 178 that gave her the resolve to break free from the "stable government job" label.

Hoai submitted her resignation in the first round in March. This decision worried her relatives, but she wasn't "stepping into the unknown." For the past 5 years, she had quietly prepared for this major life change by studying macroeconomics, finance, securities, and real estate investment.

"When I read Decree 178, I saw it as a revolutionary policy. I recognized the issues within myself and those around me, so I wanted a change," Hoai shared.

Voluntarily leaving government service is not easy, especially for those accustomed to years of stability. Hoai also struggled with learning to write a resume and preparing for interviews. For four months after resigning, she barely left her desk.

Another lesser-known difficulty is the trade-off of familiar titles, positions, income, and respect. "Over 14 years in the public sector, I won national awards and achieved accomplishments many would envy. Now, I'm starting over, my age is a factor, my salary is only two-thirds of what it was, and there's the stereotype of 'stagnant, conservative government workers'," she said.

As of the end of June, over 43,200 officials and civil servants have resigned under the streamlining policy. This figure includes both retirements and voluntary resignations. It is estimated that an additional 90,000 civil servants and public employees will leave the system under the downsizing roadmap, bringing the total number of departures to around 113,000.

Leaving the public sector, whether voluntarily or through policy, is creating a significant shift from the public sector to the free labor market. However, according to Nguyen Huyen Hao, a recruitment specialist in Hanoi, not everyone is ready to integrate.

"This labor group has an understanding of administrative and legal systems, systemic thinking, and good communication skills, but they lack foreign language proficiency, technology and digital literacy, and flexibility and dynamism," Hao said.

Navigos Group's Talent Guide 2025 survey also shows that the current labor market is being doubly impacted by the post-pandemic recovery process and the strong wave of digital transformation. Two prominent trends are the increasing demand for human resources in fields such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and renewable energy; and the concept of "sustainable employment," which is increasingly being incorporated into human resource development policies by many countries, including Vietnam.

To meet these changes, businesses are increasingly emphasizing skills such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, effective communication, adaptability, creativity, along with technological understanding and foreign language skills.

Faced with the large number of surplus workers from the public sector after restructuring, Vu Quang Thanh, deputy director of the Hanoi Employment Service Center, said the city has developed a plan to support these workers, including career counseling, vocational training support, and recruitment connections. Decree 154, issued in mid-June, also opens up vocational training opportunities for people under 45 who are working in jobs that do not match their qualifications but wish to resign.

The center has collected recruitment needs from businesses, built a database, and is ready to provide counseling tailored to the workers' capabilities to help them quickly return to the market. The unit also encourages businesses to accept and prioritize recruiting this group of workers leaving the public sector.

However, to date, the center has not recorded any cases of individuals in this group seeking job search assistance.

In reality, many people have prepared in advance. Moreover, the severance pay they receive is not only a financial safety net but also a springboard to help them start their new journeys.

Like Hoai, who left her position with 955 million VND, she entered the new environment with a proactive mindset. "Working at the school is a new experience, more meaningful to me than just earning a salary," she shared.

Officially resigning at the beginning of July, Thoi received a severance payment of over 800 million VND. She used a portion to pay for five more years of social security, ensuring she qualifies for 55% of her pension later. The rest is dedicated to her family's plan to move abroad. She plans to leave within the next three months, followed by her husband and children.

The former civil servant hopes her story will inspire the more than 100,000 people who have resigned after the streamlining of the government apparatus.

"Leaving government service is not the end. It can open a new chapter, where a daring and proactive spirit is the most powerful passport," she said.

Phan Duong