The Ministry of Justice is currently evaluating the draft Decree on adjusting base salaries and bonus schemes for cadres, public officials, civil servants, and armed forces, developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The drafting agency proposes increasing the base salary from 2,34 million dong to 2,53 million dong starting from 1/7. This proposal stems from the fact that the current base salary is only 56% of the average regional minimum wage in the enterprise sector. Additionally, the low salary scale makes life challenging for public officials, civil servants, and armed forces personnel.

Beneficiaries of this adjustment include: cadres and public officials from central to communal levels; civil servants in public non-business units; contract workers in administrative agencies and public non-business units; employees of associations supported by the state budget; armed forces and cryptographic personnel; and part-time workers in villages and residential areas.

In response to the draft, numerous localities such as Lai Chau, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, Tay Ninh, Vinh Long, Can Tho, and Ca Mau have proposed that the drafting agency submit a higher increase than 2,53 million dong to the Government. This higher adjustment aims to ensure the livelihood of public officials, offset inflation, retain talent, and continue to research salary reform policies suitable for job positions.

A representative from Lai Chau stated that the proposed base salary of 2,53 million dong per month "is only about 56,6% of the regional minimum wage in the enterprise sector in 2026," which is insufficient to ensure the livelihood of cadres, public officials, civil servants, and armed forces. Following administrative restructuring, the workload at the commune level has increased, with demands becoming more stringent. Meanwhile, the income of cadres, public officials, and civil servants remains low, commodity prices are high, and salaries do not meet their families' essential spending needs. This situation leads to a lack of commitment among this workforce and fails to attract highly qualified and capable individuals to the public sector.

A representative from Dak Lak also noted that the 8% increase does not adequately reflect inflation and market fluctuations, making it difficult to ensure a basic standard of living for cadres and public officials amidst continuously rising living costs. The province recommended, "The Ministry of Home Affairs should consider submitting to the Government a base salary adjustment higher than 8% or implement a suitable salary increase roadmap to motivate and reassure the workforce."

In addition to proposing a higher increase, Can Tho city suggested that the drafting agency, when adjusting the base salary, adhere to the spirit of salary reform. This approach aims to gradually improve the living standards of public officials, attract and retain high-quality personnel in the public sector, as a significant gap still exists compared to the private sector.

The Ministry of Education and Training also believes that with the proposed adjustment, the lowest salary for cadres, public officials, and civil servants would still be below the average regional minimum wage in the enterprise sector. This situation does not ensure proportionality with the labor market. The Ministry urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to clarify the salary gap between the public and enterprise sectors, and the extent to which the adjusted salary meets the minimum living needs of cadres, public officials, and civil servants, to determine a more appropriate increase. While increasing the base salary is necessary and appropriate, additional transitional regulations linked to the roadmap for performance-based salary reform are needed.

Public officials working at the Da Nang Public Administration Service Center. Photo: Van Dong

In the public sector, the base salary is the foundation for calculating salaries within the salary scale, allowances, and other benefits, using the formula: salary = base salary x salary coefficient. This also serves as the basis for calculating operating expenses, living expenses, and other mandated deductions.

For instance, a public official in group A3, rank 2, level one, with a salary coefficient of 5,75, would have a salary of 13,455 million dong before adjustment. After the adjustment, this salary would increase to 14,547 million dong. This salary does not include allowances.

In the enterprise sector, the current regional minimum wage for region one is 5,31 million dong; region two is 4,73 million dong; region three is 4,14 million dong; and region four is 3,7 million dong. These are the minimum thresholds for enterprises and employees to negotiate salaries under minimum working conditions.

Although these figures are higher than the public sector's base salary, they represent the lowest acceptable amount for negotiation between employees and employers, ensuring that wages are not paid below these levels. Income for workers in this sector includes monthly salary, allowances, and additional payments based on work performance. The General Statistics Office announced that the average income for salaried employees in Q1/2026 was 10 million dong.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) in Vietnam analyzed that from 2015-2022, the nominal minimum wage for enterprise sector workers increased from 119 USD to 168 USD per month, but its real value grew slowly due to inflation. From 2015-2019, the nominal wage rose by 42,7%, but in real terms, it only increased by 20,1%. From 2020-2022, the nominal wage increased by more than 6%, but in real terms, it only rose by 0,7%.

Hong Chieu