Worry, confusion as Vietnam slashes public jobs

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Senior Vietnamese official Nguyen Linh believes he has much more to give in the job he has worked his whole life but will soon retire as part of a radical government cost-cutting drive approved last week.

Across Vietnam, confused public sector workers have been left reeling as ministries are scrapped and merged in a drastic attempt to slash billions of dollars from spending.

The ruling Communist Party aims to cut one in five public sector jobs, many of which were seen as secure positions for life.

Some employees are waiting to hear if their position will go, while others have been given less than 24 hours to decide to fight for their post or take early retirement.

The shake-up has been described as “a revolution” by senior officials, and will see the number of government ministries and agencies slashed from 30 to 22.

The ministries of transport, planning and investment, communications and labor have been abolished, and state media, the civil service, police and military all face cuts.

Linh, a pseudonym to protect his identity, works for one of the newly merged ministries and said he had chosen early retirement “to escape the complicated political environment.”

Linh will receive around $100,000 when he leaves, but others who have lost their jobs are anxiously awaiting news of compensation.

Several journalists working for state media told AFP they were laid off with little notice, with one saying he had turned to driving a taxi after his 12-year career as a TV producer was suddenly terminated last month.