AEC challenges HCM City's workforce
The high rate of educated workers and their capacity to rapidly adapt to new jobs are advantages HCM City can rely on when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) comes into being at the end of this year, but the city's human resources need to improve their English and professional skills, a recent workshop heard.
Le Van Kiem of Ton Duc Thang Vocational College of Technology told the workshop — on the opportunities and challenges for the city's human resources following the AEC's formation — that the ratio of the work force with tertiary education topped 69.9% last year compared to the national average of 38%.
However, a large proportion of manual workers are untrained, he said.
When the AEC is formed, Vietnam would account for 15% of its work force, he said.
He quoted a joint International Labour Organisation-Asian Development Bank report titled "ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Managing integration for better jobs and shared prosperity" as saying the number of jobs in Vietnam would increase by 10.5% in 2025.
In 2025 Vietnam's labour productivity is expected to be double the 2010 rate, with workers with ordinary skills also getting an opportunity to improve their skills, he said.
Freer flow of skilled labour within the region would boost socio-economic development in member countries, he added.
But the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement allows the free movement of workers only in the fields of engineering, nursing, architecture, surveying, medicine, dentistry, and accountancy, which account for just 1% of the country's total workers.
This would restrict the chances of Vietnamese workers, experts told the workshop.