Creating steady jobs

International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director in Vietnam Gyorgy Sziraczki says the number of unemployed young people is on the rise, and providing permanent employment for everyone, including poor and vulnerable people, is key to reducing poverty and developing human resources in Vietnam.

At a recent conference on an ILO-Vietnam cooperation programme for permanent employment in the 2012-2016 period, the ILO said it will offer Vietnam US$4.56 million to carry out the project. 

Over the years, Vietnam has been regarded as an exemplary model of employment promotion with its strong political commitments at international and national levels.

The country has approved the ratification of ILO conventions at regional and international forums and is an official member of the ILO Executive Board in the 2011-2015 period. This has given Vietnam the chance to contribute further to ILO policy making and help the organization support its member nations more effectively.

Despite its remarkable achievements in socio-economic development and job generation, Vietnam still finds it difficult to deal with labour issues, especially uneven labour distribution between regions.

The bulk of labour strength is concentrated in the Red River Delta (22.7 percent) and the Mekong River Delta (20.1 percent).

Labour distribution in the Central Highlands and northern mountainous and midland areas remains at a low level, accounting for 5.8 percent and 13.8 percent of Vietnam’s workforce, respectively.

So, there is no denying the national source of labour is abundant but limited in quality.

According to the World Bank (WB), the quality of Vietnam’s human resources stands at 3.79 points, ranking 11^th among the 12 Asian countries surveyed.

In addition, there is a large imbalance in the supply and demand of labour. For every 10 workers, six (mostly women) are mainly employed doing housework and are considered a vulnerable group without steady jobs.

Vietnam and ILO partner social organizations have signed a cooperation agreement for permanent employment in the 2012-2016 period focusing on three strategic areas: first, improving the quality and sustainability of growth through training high-quality human resources, creating steady jobs and developing businesses; second, promoting balanced and comprehensive growth by ensuring social welfare and generating proper, reliable jobs for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; and third, reinforcing institutions and controlling the labour market to enable Vietnam to become a modern, industrialized nation.

Judging by the implementation of the employment programme over the years, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thanh Hoa highlighted the effective cooperation between Vietnam and the ILO, which has contributed to revamping the legal system related to the Labour Code, promoting the capacity of law enforcement, and improving working conditions and labour regulations in Vietnam.

However, Hoa said the country still has to cope with challenges in ensuring effective implementation of the programme in the ongoing process of national industrialization and international integration.

In order to ensure permanent employment, there must be closer coordination between relevant agencies with State playing an important role in making the labour market healthier and more transparent, Hoa added.