Just over a week before the September 2nd holiday, Ms. Trinh (41 years old, from Ben Tre province, a worker at Pouyuen company) was shocked to receive notice of being laid off. After 17 years working for the company, this was the most "memorable" holiday for Ms. Trinh, she could take it until Tet or even longer.
Like the 1,200 other workers who were laid off this time, Ms. Trinh has not yet received compensation from the company for her labor contract or unemployment insurance because she had to wait until after the holiday.
People are carrying a lot of things back to their hometowns on National Day, September 2, in the face of a long wave of layoffs (Illustration: Nam Anh).
During the long journey back to her hometown, Ms. Trinh's mind was heavy with uncertainty about her future. If she returned to the city right after the holidays, she knew it would be difficult to find a job right away, but if she stayed in her hometown, she did not know what to do to support her elderly mother and young children.
Since her divorce from her husband, Ms. Trinh has been raising her children studying in the city and her elderly mother in the countryside. Previously, if she worked overtime, Ms. Trinh could earn about 11 million VND/month. But living expenses and her children's tuition fees have taken up more than 80% of her income.
During this holiday, knowing that her mother is in difficulty, Trinh’s daughter (a third-year university student) stayed in the city to find a part-time job. If her mother cannot find a job in the city, the little girl will definitely have to become much more independent to be able to hold a university degree in her hands.
Many workers are torn between staying or leaving Ho Chi Minh City after being laid off from the factory (Illustration: Nguyen Vy).
Seeing Ms. Trinh struggling, many colleagues and workers living in the same boarding house advised her to return to Ho Chi Minh City to find a job after the holidays. However, she did not dare to be confident in her ability to find a job soon when she was over 40 years old and her health was declining.
Above all, she understood that her skills would only allow her to find a job in a company in the same industry as her previous job. If she applied for a job in a different field, she would have to undergo training and receive a newbie salary.
Recalling the day she received the decision to quit her job, Ms. Trinh cried because of all her unfulfilled dreams. With only her elderly mother and daughter as her only relatives, she often felt guilty for not being able to support her family financially .
She also said that no matter what the circumstances, she will try her best to earn money to support her elderly mother and help her children graduate from university. If she cannot find a job in the city, she will consider this an opportunity to return to her hometown to change her life.
"If I can't find a job anywhere, I'll probably go back to my hometown to grow water spinach with my mother, then sell it at the market to earn money for daily meals," the female worker sighed.
Sympathizing with Ms. Trinh, Ms. Bui Ngoc Hanh (25 years old, living in Binh Tan district) said that her whole family will return to their hometown because they cannot stay in the city. Ms. Hanh used to be a worker at Ty Hung Company Limited, but was laid off more than 2 years ago.
Ms. Hanh found a part-time job at home after being fired (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Unable to find a job at the factory, she stayed home to sew clothes and earn 2-3 million VND/month. Her husband was also fired not long after that, now he has to work as a construction worker and a motorbike taxi driver. With both husband and wife's jobs unstable, Ms. Hanh was afraid that they would not be able to take care of their two growing children. So, the couple decided to return to their hometown to start over.
According to the "Research on the impact of Covid-19 on the employment of domestic migrant workers and the role of stakeholders" by the Social Life Research Institute, the fourth outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic (from May to October 2021) has caused negative impacts on the lives of migrant workers in the Southeast region.
Representing the research team, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, Director of the Institute for Social Life Research, presented the main results of this survey. According to him, domestic migrant workers have made great contributions to the development of export processing zones, industrial parks and urban areas, especially Ho Chi Minh City, over the past two decades.
The boarding house is deserted as most of the workers lost their jobs and returned to their hometowns (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
The research team's survey results show that the biggest challenge for workers is earning enough income to cover living expenses (77.6% of survey participants responded).
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, most workers who have families often leave their children with their grandparents and choose to work far away in the hope of earning a higher income to send home. When the above goal is not achieved and working conditions in rural areas are getting better, workers tend to return to their hometowns to work and reunite with their families.
Research results show that 15.5% of domestic migrant workers surveyed currently working in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong intend to return to their hometown to work long-term.
From the survey of workers' expectations, the research team proposed that relevant agencies should make timely policy adjustments to meet the needs of domestic migrant workers to promote recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and attract migrant workers to industrial parks.
The first and most important support is financial. The group proposed that the State study to increase the minimum wage for workers to meet the rising cost of living, especially in urban areas and industrial zones. At the same time, support to control inflation to reduce difficulties for workers.
The second practical support is to improve accommodation for migrant workers. The State needs to issue regulations on criteria for building and providing housing and rooms for workers and thoroughly implement them to ensure better living conditions for migrant workers.
The group also proposed many things to do to reduce living expenses and improve the lives of workers such as: Reviewing current policies to effectively reduce electricity and water costs for workers; establishing kindergartens in industrial parks or requiring industrial parks to have kindergartens to support workers in having a place to look after their children during working hours...
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