On September 15, 2023, the government decided to adjust the civil service, and large-scale layoffs and salary cuts became the new direction of reform.
The government has taken a series of measures in the implementation of the policy of layoffs and salary cuts. First of all, the government has set up a special research group to investigate and analyze the establishment and salary of civil servants throughout the country, and formulate a scientific and reasonable reform plan. Specific layoffs and salary reduction plans have been formulated for the actual situation in different regions and departments. Second, the government selects outstanding talents who adapt to the new situation to stay in their posts through civil service examinations and internal selection, and at the same time gives appropriate compensation and placement to other personnel.
The view of reducing the salary of civil servants is usually based on three considerations. First of all, people believe that the salary and treatment of civil servants are higher than the social average, resulting in an unfair and unreasonable income distribution. However, actual data do not support this view. According to relevant statistics, the salary and treatment of civil servants do not exceed the social average, but are comparable or slightly lower than it. Therefore, this view lacks factual basis.
Secondly, some people believe that the salary and treatment of civil servants are too high, which leads to an increase in fiscal expenditure and has a negative impact on the country's fiscal balance and economic development. However, there are also problems with this view. Although the salaries of civil servants may be relatively high, this does not mean that fiscal expenditures will necessarily increase. In fact, salary and treatment are a necessary condition for attracting and retaining excellent talents to serve the country and society. Reasonable salaries and benefits can motivate civil servants to better perform their duties and promote the country's economic and social development. Therefore, moderate fiscal expenditure is necessary, and the issue cannot be viewed one-sidedly only from the perspective of fiscal balance and economic development.
In addition, the implementation of salary cuts and layoffs will undoubtedly have a profound impact on society. First, layoffs would cause some civil servants to lose their jobs, and it would be a major blow for some families. Therefore, the Government should provide appropriate compensation and resettlement measures for these personnel to minimize the adverse impact on society. Second, salary cuts will have an impact on the overall treatment of the civil service, and some high-paying positions may face the dilemma of personnel loss, so the government should reasonably adjust the salary structure and do a good job in relevant reassurance to ensure the retention of outstanding talents. In addition, layoffs and salary cuts may cause a series of social problems, unemployed civil servants may face increased pressure to change careers, the government needs to provide relevant training and employment assistance, and the overall stability and operation of the civil service will also be affected to a certain extent, the government needs to strengthen management and supervision to ensure that the overall quality of the civil service is not affected.
Finally, the view of reducing the salary of civil servants is also based on a third consideration: the fear that excessive salaries will lead to a decrease in the motivation and efficiency of civil servants. However, this view is also one-sided. In fact, the motivation and efficiency of civil servants are affected by many factors, not only on salaries. In recent years, the state has carried out a series of reforms and improvements in the establishment of civil servants, and established a more scientific and reasonable assessment and evaluation mechanism, incentive and constraint mechanism, training and promotion mechanism, etc. These reform measures have effectively increased the enthusiasm and efficiency of civil servants, enabling them to better perform their duties and make greater contributions to the country and society.
To sum up, Xiaobian believes that the view of reducing the salary and treatment of civil servants is unfounded and should not be used as a reason to reduce the salary and treatment of civil servants. Only by giving more treatment to civil servants can they be enthusiastic rather than old-age work.