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At the first session of the 16th National Assembly on April 21, lawmakers continued discussions on the economic-socio reports and the state budget, including proposals to adjust the base salary for civil servants. Representative Thạch Phước Bình of Vĩnh Long raised concerns that the proposed base salary increase to 2.53 million đồng per month—effective July 1, 2026—may not be sufficient to secure living standards for most public-sector employees.
Thạch Phước Bình said the base pay issue is not merely technical, but also a key motivation factor for developing the public sector. He argued that the question is not whether to raise base salary, but how much is needed to support living standards while balancing the budget and maintaining incentives to work.
The deputy noted that the 2.53 million đồng figure is “technically reasonable,” but not strong enough to guarantee living standards for most civil servants. He cited the example of a new civil servant with a coefficient of 1.86, who currently earns about 4.7 million đồng per month before insurance. At the same time, minimum urban living costs are currently estimated at 6–7 million đồng per month, creating a significant gap between income and living expenses that affects quality of life and reduces work motivation.
According to the deputy, living cost pressures are rising. Since January 1, 2026, regional minimum wages increased to: Region I at 5.31 million đồng, Region II at 4.73 million đồng, Region III at 4.14 million đồng, and Region IV at 3.7 million đồng.
He also pointed to rapid growth in essential household expenses in 2025, including housing, utilities, and health care, making it difficult for households to cut costs. In this context, he said that an increase of around 8% in base salary would leave workers with less confidence in wage improvements.
Thạch Phước Bình proposed adjusting the base salary to around 2.65–2.7 million đồng per month. He described this as equivalent to a 13–15% increase from the current level.
Under his proposal, he said a civil servant with coefficient 1.86 could earn about 4.9–5.0 million đồng per month, while someone with coefficient 2.1 would earn above 5.5 million đồng per month. He argued that this would be a more meaningful increase for low-income groups, helping narrow the gap with regional minimum wages and easing essential-cost pressures.
The deputy emphasized that while the increase may not fully ensure living standards solely through salary, it would help workers reduce reliance on other income sources and improve the perception of real wage growth—thereby strengthening motivation to work.
On fiscal balance, Thạch Phước Bình said the increase should be noticeable enough to matter, but not create excessive pressure on the state budget. He also suggested that the adjustment could serve as a stepping-stone toward deeper wage reform in the future.
He further proposed continuing to review and restructure expenditures and improve budget efficiency to create sustainable fiscal space for wage reform.
Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed raising the base salary to 2.53 million đồng per month (about 8%) from July 1, 2026. The proposal is based on Party guidelines and national regulations on wage reform, including periodic adjustments in line with CPI, GDP growth, and the state budget’s capacity.
Minh Chiến - Văn Duẩn
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