Garment workers in Phu Bai Industrial Park improve labor productivity (illustrative photo)

I heard the story of Mr. Tran Van Minh, a worker in the wood processing industry, and felt sorry. He said that he had been in the profession for nearly 15 years, but when the company switched to using technology, requiring workers like him to take several more training courses to arrange suitable jobs, he felt discouraged. He explained this by saying that his income at the old company was less than 10 million VND/month, while he had to spend a lot on his children who were growing up. The difficulty for Mr. Minh was still the financial pressure, while learning to improve his skills took time and an investment. Therefore, he quit his job and chose to drive a technology car to have immediate income.

It is known that many workers are under pressure from "bread and butter" which makes them not wholeheartedly devote their time to improving their knowledge and skills. This is clearly reflected in statistics from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, when in recent years, less than 4% of unemployed workers have participated in vocational training. As a result, many workers cannot meet the changes in the employment structure. Therefore, when businesses lack orders, highly qualified workers are given priority to retain, because they can take on more job positions.

At the job fair at the beginning of the year, many businesses said that unemployed workers are low-skilled workers. Therefore, in order for them to return to the labor market, in addition to support policies, the biggest concern now is vocational training and skill improvement. However, most unemployed workers still choose to receive unemployment benefits without participating in vocational training. Many people are worried about the possibility of not being successful in changing careers, which is also one of the common fears.

The current labor market is experiencing many fluctuations. New jobs are emerging, some jobs are disappearing or transforming. Many experts believe that vocational training for workers in the current context is inevitable so that workers do not have to suffer from job interruptions. According to a recent assessment by the Department of Employment, the Vietnamese labor market entering 2025 has many expectations as the Vietnamese economy is the leading attractive FDI destination in the region and the world. In addition, the arrangement and streamlining of the apparatus is being actively implemented, towards an effective and efficient administration.

In addition to the "quick fix" mentality of many workers who do not want to learn a trade to change careers, many workers believe that for a long time they have lacked information about the demand for labor, labor recruitment, training needs in terms of quantity, industry structure, and labor qualifications of enterprises. At present, information about science - engineering - technology sectors, with priority given to information technology, new technology, high technology, and future skills, also needs to be promoted and shared with workers. Thanks to that, they will have data to analyze and forecast future human resources and skill needs.

Once the information is specifically determined, the human resource supply plan and solution will be closer to the needs of the business. Both businesses and workers will be more proactive in improving their vocational training capacity to meet the needs of the labor market.

Article and photos: An Nhien