Vietnam has curtailed 39,823 people in state agencies and organizations from 2015 to August 2018 in a move to streamline state apparatus for better operations in accordance with a government decree. Of the total, 5,778 people were removed from state agencies in 2015, 11,923 people in 2016, 12,660 state employees in 2017, and 9,462 so far this year, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Spokesman Vu Dang Minh.

Among those leaving state agencies and organizations, 86.67% received benefits from early retirement and 13.14% received immediate resignation, Minh added.

The official noted that public organizations took the lead in cutting off personnel with 27,102 people or 68.08%, followed by communal bodies with 15.42%, and administrative bodies with 11.87%.

Minh said that state agencies have conducted different measures to divide, merge, or adjust operations of their bodies to work more effectively after the personnel reduction.

Vietnam has planned to cut down 100,000 state employees between 2014 and 2020. The move is expected to cost VND8,000 billion (US$345 million).

According to the Ministry of Finance, the government would save as much as VND20 trillion or 0.7% in regular expenditures in 2018-2020 if the country succeeded in trimming 10% state personnel in the years.

However, a number of state officials and experts have commented that the personnel reduction remains slow and fails to meet given plans.