1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Challenge of Human Resource for Sustainable Development in Sangthong District,

Vientiane Municipality, Lao PDR.
Okeo Syharath* and Dr.Phout Simalavong**

Abstract
The paper is the exploration of the requirement for staff that emphasize the role of personnel as a human resource
for sustainable development in the Sangthong district, Vientiane municipality for their operation. Base on the district will
move up for poor district of Vientiane municipality. Furthermore many offices in district must implement the strategy of
district lay out, so that the human resource is necessary with quantity and quality for their offices. The study emphasizes the
requirement and supply of the staff to their offices through interviews and documentary annual report. According to interview
8 chief of offices and 3 deputies of offices participated in this research. The analysis used from the primary data as well as
interviews of the chiefs and deputy chiefs of each office under Sangthong districts of Vientiane municipality, the Lao PDR.
The comparison of perspective requirement and practice staff provided, the result of weak point, the human resource
management must improve the operation.
Keywords: Sustainable Development, Staff Requirement, Supply Staffs, Performance Management System

Introduction
Every country in the world wants to develop their countries to become civilization and peace, but how to develop as
sustainable, it should be based on conditions and the actual environment. Party has leading Lao ethnic people completed
burden of historical of fighting for liberation, bring independence to the country and freedom to Lao people and leading Lao
ethnic people to protect new regimes and develop the country. Development is the burden of historical in new conditions of
*

PhD Candidate, Program on Management Science and Engineering, National University of Laos - KMUST Kunming University of Science and
Technology
**
Professor, Program on Management Science and Engineering, National University of Laos

1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
the fundamental issues of political-thinking of party including is one important of the leading national. The development is
important, because it means expanding production capacity, is responsive to the basic benefits of the ethnic Lao people
compete to attract the hearts of the people.
Districts in Lao P.D.R. are authorized belong to provincials and consist of more villages and have roles for
managing administrative political, economic, culture - social, human resources development and preservation of natural
resources, environmental and other resources, defense and security in the districts and implementation foreign policies as
assigned by the provinces. To build districts become an entity strengthening must relate to promote leading role of the Party in
the district levels and encourage administrative roles of districts, the first must create districts as planning and budget
divisions belong to provinces and the same time have to divide appropriately benefits to districts with more responsibility and
actively encourage to districts. Sangthong district, 1 of 9 poor districts in Lao PDR and honor of historical hero district, its
area are 80.0000 hectares, population is 28,266 people and women 13.946 people, 92.98% Lao, 7% Kmu, Hmong 0, 02%.
There are 2 special development zones for three buildings (the first zone is Nalard village and the second zone is Sork
village), 5 groups of villages, 37 villages, 461 units, 5,848 families (Sangthong district of statistic report 2013), this district is
honor of historical hero district and 1 of 9 districts of the fundamental revolutionary, people love the country, patriotism,
solidarity among Lao ethnic groups and actively labor for productions. There is natural resources abundance such: land,
forests, air, mining and other resources to support for socio-economic development. Economic growth in 10-20% per year,
gross domestic product (GDP) has reached 163.33 billion kip, average income 5.936.304 kip / person / year, economic
comparison to other districts of Vientiane capital is lower, lack of budget and limited of human resources who are able
contribute to the development.
However the district has the 24 offices and also all staffs are 637peoples who are working and response the
development of this district for going out the poorest of district of Vientiane municipality. So that the staffs with skill,
capacity and mount are main key of sustainable human development and also this objective paper is finding the requirement
of staffs and the supply the staffs to their office in Sangthong district, Vientiane municipality.

Literature Review
This study is considered a main advantage to identify the concept of title, as well as the processes may occur which
use the more researches to find the theory and some previous researches, that is focusing the different perceptions and
different of relationship will be setting for considering in the research. However the study was focused on possible structure to
concern the way how to success the research. The main point are discussed on this chapter will be appear Sustainable,
Sustainable development, Sustainable human development. According to Costanza, (1991) and Vercelli (1998) mentioned the
sustainable development literature referred to intergenerational justice as well as one ethical concern, the study was found that
Brooks (1992) mentioned Sustainable development cannot exist as some static equilibrium state that can be regulated by
reference to constant limits and some simple notion of balance between the various dimensions and one hand the Holling
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1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

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(1973, 1986) descripted the variables of the system in attempts to obtain optimal performance often lead to loss of resilie nce
of the system and even its collapse. Turner (1993) noted that the classical economists view regards the economy as the
relevant system, and relegates nature to the role of provider of natural resources and services and of a sink for the wastes
produced by human activities.
Meanwhile the concept of sustainable development has important with improvement situations, the author was
summary of this issues, Ciegis (2004) gave the mean of Although the essence of the concept of sustainable development is
clear enough, the exact interpretation and definition of sustainable development has caused strong discussions, and according
to Bergh and Jeroen (1996) referred to the concept of sustainable development has suggested a synthesis between economic
development and environmental preservation and Farrell and Hart (1998) mentioned that Many attempts to promote
sustainable development involve strategies designed to define and subsequently monitor some form of sustainability limits.
So that this issues used to apply the practice, based on Vercelli (1998) approaches to sustainable development from an
ecological perspective stress the importance of focusing on the societal ability to resist or recover from disturbances, stre sses
and shocks rather than on its ability to produce goods and Perterson (1997) approach to sustainable development, which is
often linked in some manner with the sustainability limits approach, is the competing objectives approach, which focuses on
reconciling social, economic and ecological goals and derived from different life experiences and cultural histories, tends to
undermine the possibility of any consensus on the criteria for sustainable development.
The literature review was focused on the HRM practices and finding the supply and demand side to identify the
paper the study was found that Wright & McMahan (1992) mentioned that HRM practices are used to achieve a governance
structure for managing the myriad implicit and explicit contracts between employers and employees, Baird & Meshoulam
(1988) and Smith (1985) referred to organization life cycle stages directs attention to the changing managerial priorities that
characterize organizations in various developmental stages such as start-up, growth, maturity, and perhaps decline and revival,
however the Wright and Snell (1991) mentioned applied open systems theory (inputs, throughputs, outputs) to SHRM and
proposed that two major foci are competence and behavior. Competence (knowledge, skills, and abilities) management
strategies consist of competence acquisition, competence utilization, competence retention, and competence displacement.
Behavior management strategies consist of behavior control and behavior coordination. The HR practice should be
considering as well as Patrick, McGovern, Lynda Gratton, Veronica Hope-Hailey, Philip Stiles and Cather (2007) referred to
a delivery point for a variety of employment policies that are intended to raise the performance of the workforce and also
World economic Forum 2010 mentioned that Talent planning should be inextricably linked with strategic planning and, as
such, regularly addressed by human resource executives. Companies need to develop leaders capable of generating growth
and effectively managing a multicultural workforce. Leaders themselves need to represent diverse cultures and backgrounds
so the structure of the decision-making bodies within organizations reflects a more diverse composition of the marketplace.
However the supply and demand should play important for the working capacity based on Edwards and Whitson (1989)
mentioned the unknown aspect of internal supply is the weakness of all human asset accounting, the fact that people choose to
leave. Certain patterns are generally known, example young people are more likely to leave than older, and people in low[27]

1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
level rather than responsible jobs. Increased levels of absenteeism may be a sign of impending dissatisfaction and intention to
leave, but may also demonstrate patterns of workplace culture or managerial control systems and one hand Storey (1995)
referred to argues that there are different approaches to forecasting demand; most mathematical and statistical techniques used
in demand forecasting are concerned with estimating future requirements from an analysis of past and current experience.
The perception and idea have more good to use and also the Sangthong district play to challenge with the development and
one hand the local development, it required the staffs with the skill, ability, capacity of human resource management.

Method
This research was used qualitative method, which attempt to explain and understand the existing situation of the
operating of human resource development in Sangthong district, Vientiane municipality. The tool research is interview,
record, writing with the chiefs and deputy chief offices under Sangthong district. Meanwhile the total population of offices
covers 11 samples of 9 offices. The analysis used the content and explore by sentence words.

Finding Result
The finding was explored in the two parts for analysis, first part is explored the profile of the respondent and the
second part is explored the requirement of staffs and the supply the staffs to their office.
Profile of the respondents
The information characteristics of position were included in this chapter for effort to provide a descriptive profile of
the survey respondents. Survey respondents were asked their positions because it was the part of significance issues, which
the question interview was, cover to the staff requirement for the future as well as their offices require their teamwork. In the
interviews are appropriate technique to identify, understand and accessibility, interviews were conducted with selected
participants. The result of respondents were 8 chiefs of offices (73%) and 3 deputy chiefs of offices (27%) who are provided
the information.
The different between supply and demand of human resource insure the sustainable development.
The purpose of this section is an attempt to finding the answer this question, as was discussed above a little, there
are a variety and many office has requirement of staffs, based on the requirement with many reason to support and point out
their work responsibility, in the eleven offices there are required 153 staffs, the mean is their work and their vision for
improvement in the growth of economic, social, culture and environment works can be attributed to an increasing awareness
of sustainable development, greater affluence, greater mobility increased access to the professional works, and a reaction to
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1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
the demands of society. However, the policy and guide line of Lao government has the principle of decentralized governance
in the local level example the strategy of province is a strategy, district is a planning and Village. is also reflective of changes
in the work of local practice. All this issue the human resource skill need more progressively becoming more central to
practitioners as they consider the sustainable of development on mounts, skill levels for the development such working
function, image, providing good quality to service.
Meanwhile the plan of human development is main planning tool which is designed to understanding the distraction
of costs and benefits of districted plan development at the local level, in the structure question investigate to open with
historical overview which may influence working before the staffs of each working opinion. The final examine contingent
with a view to further understanding the attitudinal under pinning of contingent valuation interview, according head of
personnel office was result of the supply the staffs into districted development for each year, she mentioned that about 20- 25
staffs per year.

Fig. 1 Comparison of Requirement and Supply

In the case requirement and supply the extensive number of requirement (153 staffs) but the supply provide (20-25)
was thought to have changing of numbers. This process from supply point of view, she mentioned that the number of
personnel staff was based on quota from the Vientiane municipality provided. The two points of view can compare with the
supply amount of 25 staffs provided by figure. The mount of figure reported which a mount, percent, difference. The
requirement was more staffs that had had its work in the district use for development of the years. The capacity work of
supplier- requirement was somewhat limit, but those staffs who were in the work in district for development continually. The
percent of requirement is more than 600.12 % when it compares with supply and also one hand when it compares from supply

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1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
side, the percent is only 16.3 % with providing, however the difference is requirement and supply, there is far from each point
of number.
The case of two relationship was considered more important to staff working as well as the effective work, staff
satisfaction that suggested by relative numbers of requirement to total supply. The effective of total capacity was considere d
substantial. The requirement and supply do not fit on the relative individual work. This relationship has not been good
between staffs and sustainable development and is no longer willing to tolerate that role. This kind of relationship is difficult
to control or manage how to vision of district; it will be move to future.

Conclusion
The paper is overall purpose of the study was to explore the performance appraisal practices as well as the human
resource in Sanghong district, Vientiane Capital Municipality, the Lao PDR. Meanwhile, the performance appraisals of
offices in the district, there are important for developing the organization to play key sustainable development as well as the
district development. The excellent personnel performance appraisal, supply and requirement, its relationship to the historic
performance, and staffs of supply and requirement were recognized through literature review, interview and correspondence
surveys. The results of study will be encourage the staffs or leaders level to resolve the weak point to move up strong point
performance and suit between supply and requirement. The result showed there are supply and requirement; it is not fit with
requisition as well as the number indicated requirement (600.12%) and supply gave only 16.3%. However, what is it happen
in this district. But the supply perspective was based on quota of higher level of administration provided. Finally, requirement
perspective was based on their works in the district, two perceptions are still not clear. In additional, the study result identified
that the higher level of administration has less excess to involve in the sustainable human resource development in the
Sangthong district. The study give more strongly recommendation that the district administration involve amount and skill of
staff requirement in the yearly plan of human development , as well as take the districts detail implementation plan for
showing the necessarily and significant and also components of work development to support.

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1st ASEAN Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences

28-30 May 2015, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
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