Vietnam steps up urban employment drive

The department of labour under the MOLISA has been working closely with government authorities in Ho Chi Minh city to help workers return to the city when the economy picks up, while Vice Chairman of the municipal People Committee Vice Chairman Vo Van Hoan has called on businesses to take steps to retain their workforce. 

This comes as the country’s labour market has been badly affected by lockdowns. It is estimated that since the start of this year, the incomes and job security of 13 million workers have been affected. The situation worsened in June when about 10% of the country’s businesses were forced to shut down, putting almost 4 million people out of work, said labour experts. 

Consequently, workers, mostly from rural areas, left large cities or sought temporary employment, with only 60-70% of them saying that they will return to the large cities for work. 

Employment centres will play a critical role in job-matching workers with employers in the months to come, said Dr Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, former head of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs under the MOLISA. However, for the longer term, Vietnam must retrain and upskill workers to help them secure better job opportunities, he added.

READ: Vietnam to support pandemic-hit workers and employers

Many government initiatives have been implemented to support workers, including one that has budgeted VND30 trillion (US$1.31 billion) as support funds for those who have been affected by the pandemic, according to VNA.