The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee (UBND TP HCM) disclosed this information in a document seeking feedback on a draft resolution. This resolution proposes a mechanism for socializing professional and technical activities, aiming to support administrative procedure processing within the city.

Following the implementation of a two-tier government model, the city now employs over 11,600 individuals. These personnel are involved in various stages of administrative procedure processing, spanning departments, sectors, and the People's Committees of wards, communes, and special zones.

A survey conducted by the UBND TP HCM revealed that 56% of civil servants and public employees directly processing documents work overtime. This averages 30-40 hours monthly, often extending into evenings, saturdays, and sundays. In certain agencies, more than 90% of staff report working additional hours, frequently exceeding 100 hours each month.

Staff from Nha Be commune, TP HCM, work at the UBND TP HCM headquarters after 18h, 6/2026. Photo: Phung Tien

City authorities attribute the significant work pressure to the large volume of administrative procedures and high transaction demands. TP HCM currently manages 2,170 administrative procedures across various levels. During the first 5 months of the year, city agencies processed over 1.78 million documents, with a high concentration in land administration, construction, investment, business registration, and civil status.

Previously, between 1/7 and 14/12/2025, the city's administrative system handled over 2.57 million documents.

Despite the presence of over 11,600 personnel dedicated to processing procedures, the individual workload remains substantial. Each civil servant at the commune level is responsible for 4-9 task groups, with each group involving multiple specialized processes. This pressure escalates during peak periods or when regulations and procedures undergo changes, all while administrative agencies are mandated to meet strict document processing deadlines.

Officials, civil servants, and public employees who work overtime receive compensation as per regulations. However, the exact amount disbursed depends on each unit's internal spending rules, allocated budgets, and any surplus in administrative funds.

The UBND TP HCM states that this prolonged workload overload heightens the risk of errors and delays in document processing, negatively affecting citizen and business satisfaction. In the first 5 months of the year alone, the city registered 11,261 overdue documents. Furthermore, the intense work pressure has prompted numerous commune-level civil servants, including unit heads, to resign.

To alleviate this burden, the UBND TP HCM has proposed that the City People's Council (HDND thanh pho) implement a mechanism. This mechanism would allow organizations and businesses to engage in certain support activities, such as: guiding citizens through document completion, digitizing records, receiving and returning results, assisting with field surveys, and operating public administrative service centers.

Businesses, however, will not be permitted to undertake tasks falling under state agency authority, such as appraisal, approval, or making final decisions on procedure outcomes. The city anticipates that this mechanism will enable civil servants to concentrate on their core specialized duties, thereby reducing overtime hours and accelerating document processing times.

Le Tuyet