Hanoi (VNA) – Economic growth andjob creation must be taken into consideration when it comes to adjustingretirement age, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue told lawmakers during aquestion-and-answer session on June 6 as part of the 14th NationalAssembly’s ongoing fifth session in Hanoi.

Other factors include characteristics ofeach sector, population aging, gender equality and gap in retirement agebetween men and women.

He also noted that a retirement ageadjustment is linked to ensuring long-term balance of the Social InsuranceFund. Under the resolution adopted by the Party Central Committee at its recentplenary meeting, retirement age will be adjusted from 2021 in a cautious wayunder a roadmap. Depending on each special sector, retirement age could belengthened or cut by five years.

Hue added the legislature will discussthoroughly before deciding on the issue.

As regards salary reform for officials andcadres, members of the armed forces and workers, Hue said the issue is ofpublic concern so synchronous measures should be taken, including streamliningpersonnel on State payroll, promoting manufacturing to increase State budgetcollections, preventing loss of revenue to the State budget and exercisingthrift.

As many as 10 percent of regular Statespending will be used for the effort, he said.

He stressed the importance of increasinglocal State budget collection, with localities allowed to use 70 percent of thesurplus in budget revenue for salary reform instead of 50 percent at current.

Based on the Politburo’s Resolution No.07,the Government has calculated salary payment options while ensuring public debtceiling at 65 percent of the gross domestic product and spending on transportinfrastructure and capital construction along with overspending at 26 percent,and controlling inflation at the same time.

Salary increase in tandem with higher labourproduction and efficiency of the State apparatus will not impact the consumerprice index, he said.-VNA