Sending ethnic minority workers to work abroad contributes to sustainable poverty reduction

Eliminating temporary housing, creating jobs, and increasing people's incomes have been identified by Thua Thien Hue province as top priorities in implementing the sustainable poverty reduction program. One of the solutions to effectively address employment and help reduce poverty quickly and sustainably is sending workers abroad under labor contracts.

Social policy credit funds contribute to achieving poverty reduction goals.
Learning from each other, exchanging experiences, and replicating successful poverty reduction models.
Thua Thien Hue province is stepping up efforts to send workers abroad, contributing to poverty reduction.
Providing consultancy services for sending workers abroad under contract linked to sustainable poverty reduction.

Thua Thien Hue province requests increased dissemination of information about overseas labor markets to ethnic minority and impoverished workers.

Recognizing the importance of mountainous regions and ethnic minority communities in the overall development of the province, Thua Thien Hue province has implemented numerous policies and projects over the years aimed at sustainable poverty reduction, socio -economic development, and improving the lives of ethnic minorities in all aspects. However, during the implementation of programs and projects related to production, scientific and technical training, vocational training, and job creation, many difficulties and obstacles have been encountered, resulting in low effectiveness and a high poverty rate among ethnic minority households in mountainous areas, especially in A Luoi and Nam Dong districts.

Mr. Ho Van Ngum, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of A Luoi District, said that in recent years, job creation in the locality has achieved some remarkable results. The number of workers going to work in domestic and foreign companies has increased annually, and sending workers abroad is increasingly attracting the attention of the younger generation. In 2022, A Luoi district had 16 workers; in the first 10 months of 2023, 57 workers went to work abroad, mainly in Japan and Taiwan. The increasing number of workers, especially those from poor and near-poor households and ethnic minority households, participating in overseas employment has helped improve the income and living standards of themselves and their families.

However, labor and employment in A Luoi still face many difficulties and challenges. A large number of workers are seeking employment and career changes, businesses need to recruit workers but lack sufficient information, and the situation of people waiting for jobs and jobs waiting for people still persists. While the number of workers participating in overseas employment has increased, it is not yet commensurate with the local potential. These are issues that the Party Committee and the district government are paying close attention to.

According to experts, to ensure an improved quality of life, it is essential to first help ethnic minority communities secure employment through vocational training linked to local job placement or by sending workers abroad to generate stable income. This is a sound direction and policy, especially given the current challenges faced by agricultural economic development models in the mountainous regions of Thua Thien Hue in terms of capital, land, technology, and product markets. Therefore, one of the most appropriate and practical solutions to help ethnic minority people in mountainous areas escape poverty quickly and sustainably is to improve the quality of the workforce through training and job placement. Sending workers abroad under contract to high-paying, stable employment markets is considered the "shortest and most effective path" to poverty alleviation. Moreover, upon returning home after their term ends, these workers will have acquired solid knowledge and skills, making it easier for them to establish careers and avoid falling back into poverty.

Providing advice, recruitment, and placement services for workers to work abroad is an effective solution contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.

In its Sustainable Poverty Reduction Plan for the period 2021-2025, Thua Thien Hue province has identified that, to help reduce the poverty rate and near-poverty rate across the province to 2.0-2.2% by the end of 2025, with a target of reducing the poverty rate in ethnic minority areas by over 3% annually (A Luoi district alone averaging a reduction of 7-9% per year), one of the proposed solutions is to send workers abroad under labor contracts. Accordingly, Thua Thien Hue aims to support at least 5,000 workers from poor, near-poor, newly-escaped-poverty, and disadvantaged areas in finding successful employment; at least 5,000 workers will receive training support; and approximately 4,000 of these workers will go to work abroad under contracts (at least 70% of households with members working abroad will escape poverty). The program will support approximately 4,000 workers in participating in advanced foreign language training courses before working abroad. The total budget for the period 2021-2025 is 9,440 billion VND.

Most recently, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province issued a plan to promote the sending of ethnic minority workers from mountainous areas to work abroad under contract in the province during the period 2023-2025, aiming to create jobs, increase income, improve living standards and professional skills of workers, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction, and promoting socio-economic development in mountainous areas and the province.

According to the aforementioned plan, Thua Thien Hue province strives to ensure that 100% of workers residing in mountainous areas within the eligible age range receive advice and information on the overseas labor market; and on policies and regulations regarding overseas employment under contract. The province also aims to ensure that by 2025, 100% of workers residing in mountainous areas who meet the requirements and have the need will be able to work abroad. Specifically, A Luoi district aims to send over 70 workers abroad annually.
Furthermore, Thua Thien Hue strives to ensure that 100% of grassroots officials in mountainous areas receive training on policies supporting job creation, preferential credit for job creation, and policies supporting workers going to work abroad, etc.

The program will be implemented in mountainous districts and communes in Thua Thien Hue province, with a focus on A Luoi district. Target groups include ethnic minority workers seeking overseas employment; those from poor households, newly-escaped-from-poverty households, and near-poor households; relatives of those who have rendered meritorious service to the revolution; and those whose agricultural land has been confiscated according to the law.

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