According to the General Statistics Office, each year 1.4-1.6 million people of working age join the country’s labour force. This has created a golden opportunity for social development with young people playing an important part in both production and State budget contribution to ensure social welfare.

Nevertheless, the increasing number of people has also put pressure on the State to generate jobs. Duong Quoc Trong, Head of the General Department for Population and Family Planning, says that the gender ratio has reached danger levels. If tough measures are not introduced, Vietnam faces an uncertain future.

On the other hand, if the abundant labour force cannot produce an adequate volume of essential commodities for themselves, the country will suffer long-term consequences. Currently, Vietnam is striving to address this issue but this is no easy task.

According to a recent report by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the country is facing a severe shortage of highly-skilled workers, especially in finance, banking, tourism and services. Subsequently, these sectors have to employ foreign workers as most Vietnamese guest workers have poor professional skills.

Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Head of MoLISA’s Institute for Labour and Social Affairs, says that it is essential to improve the professional skills of domestic workers so that they can secure a stable life in the future.

The current population has created an excellent opportunity for the country to boost its socio-economic development but the Government needs putting in place suitable policies on labour and employment to make full use of the country’s human resources in an effective way, says Ms Huong.