Govt demands transparency in civil servant recruitment 

The government will impose a strict and transparent process for the selection of civil servants next year as part of efforts to recruit state employees who are properly qualified.
According to a media statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the 2nd Open Government Meeting on Friday resolved that state agencies are required to hold exams to select the most qualified candidates for recruitment as civil servants.
A number of government members and representatives of Party, National Assembly, provincial authorities and other state agencies attended in the event.
The government’s decision on the civil servant recruitment came after the meeting heard a report on the implementation of a National Assembly resolution that approved a government proposal to recruit 2,000 state employees in 2020.
The NA resolution states that the government must allocate the majority of the civil servants designated in the quota to the education and health sectors, as well as to district and provincial authorities that have a shortage of civil servants.
According to the media release, to ensure that state agencies employ qualified personnel, the meeting agreed that the selection of civil servants next year must be based on exam results.
With regard to volunteers and contract workers, meeting participants advised that state agencies should not select them solely because they have already been working for the government for some time, but also based on merit.
This means volunteers and contract workers who want to become civil servants must also take the examination otherwise they will not be eligible for civil servant status.
The meeting agreed that state agencies must ensure that the process to select civil servants in 2020 is transparent and just, the media release said.
The joint meeting of government members and representatives of the Party, National Assembly and other state agencies took place from December 19 to 20 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.
At this meeting, the government unveiled National Assembly resolutions that outline the key targets the government must achieve in 2020. The disclosure of this information is aimed at ensuring that all state agencies are working on common ground to fulfill the 2020 development plan.
There were 7 issues discussed at the meeting including the recruitment of the civil servants for 2020, the results of a land concession project investigation, measures to boost domestic production, and administration of the import of foreign goods.
The promotion of micro, small and medium sized enterprises and the government’s efforts to address the impact of recent natural disasters were also discussed at the meeting, according to the media release.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update December 23, 2019)