Hanoi voters urged the government and the National Assembly to support ethnic minorities and the poor more.

Voters expect more attention from the Government for the poor. File photo

The view was expressed at the ongoing session of the National Assembly on October 27, discussing Vietnam’s socioeconomic performance in 2022 and the plan for next year.

Colonel Nguyen Thuan Quang (Cau Giay district) expressed his support for many National Assembly deputies who are calling for substantial measures to address the increasing job abandonment by public personnel, especially in the fields of health and education, or the slow progress in cultural development compared to the rate of economic expansion.

Quang highlighted the recommendation of Deputy Ha Duc Minh (Lao Cai province), calling on the Government and the National Assembly to financially support officials and security forces stationed in areas that have recently emerged from severe hardship, especially those inhabited by ethnic minority groups.

“The Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years has caused severe societal impacts, particularly on the ethnic minorities, near-poor, and poor households. I suggest the authorities pay more attention to these groups,” Quang said.

For his part, Nguyen Duy Tien, from Bac Tu Liem district, said discussions among deputies at today's session addressed issues directly related to people's lives and solutions that could impact the socio-economic development process in the short term.

Amid rising inflationary pressure that could have negative impacts on Vietnam, as mentioned by Deputy Pham Hung Thang (Ha Nam Province), Tien expected the Government to anticipate the situation better and have appropriate measures against external shocks.

According to Tien, a volatile and uncertain world situation would make it hard for local businesses to draft future strategies and require support from the Government.

“Guidance from the Government is necessary for Vietnamese companies to position themselves in a fast-changing world,” he continued.

“Vietnam has achieved encouraging socio-economic results in 2022 despite a difficult economic environment, but more challenges are expected in the coming time, and systematic measures from the Government are essential to help the economy cope with the new situation,” Tien said.

Acceleration of wage reform process needed

Deputy Duong Minh Anh. Source: quochoi.vn

During a debate session at the National Assembly on October 27, Deputy Duong Minh Anh from Hanoi called on the National Assembly to raise the basic salary of civil servants from January 1, 2023, instead of from July 1, 2023, as initially intended by the Government.

According to Anh, this effectively addresses the workforce shortage in the public healthcare and education sectors.

Anh also stressed the need for the Government to expand the social welfare network, including health insurance coverage, for people in low-income groups or those living in remote areas and ethnic minorities.

Echoing Anh's view, Deputy Nguyen Huy Thai from Bac Lieu province pointed out that the last increase in the basic wage was on July 1, 2019, and remained unchanged to date.

“This is particularly a concern as the Covid-19 pandemic has caused devastating consequences on the economy. A low salary base would affect the morale of public staff, their work performance and subsequently leading to their decision to quit jobs,” Thai said.

Nevertheless, Thai applauded the government's effort to make a move, especially as the economy continues to undergo a difficult period.

On October 20, Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc presented the government's plan for wage reform, including a 20.8% increase in the base salary of civil servants from VND1.49 million ($60) to VND1.8 million ($73.3) from July 1, 2023. This would require around VND44 trillion ($1.7 billion) from the state budget.