Nghe An: Labor export contributes to sustainable poverty reduction

Despite being affected by the pandemic and economic fluctuations, Nghe An still exceeded the employment target for the 2021-2025 period and continued to lead the country in labor export... This is also considered one of the key factors helping people here escape poverty sustainably.

Creating a turning point in hunger eradication and poverty reduction

Chieu Luu mountainous commune of Nghe An province has a sparse population, the people here are mainly Thai and Kho Mu people, living scattered among the mountainsides and streams.

Due to the fragmented terrain and self-sufficient life, poverty and hunger are deeply ingrained in people's lives. However, the turning point came when people found a way out of poverty through labor export.

Chieu Luu mountainous commune, Nghe An with many spacious houses built with money from workers working abroad. Photo: Pham Tam

Mr. Lo Van Cang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieu Luu Commune, said that the locality used to be a poor commune, with a poverty rate of nearly 70%. People's lives mainly depended on slash-and-burn farming, with unstable incomes, lacking money all year round.

"When the commune first started to encourage people to work abroad, no one believed this was a way out of poverty. They were afraid of risks and debt. Meanwhile, the cost of going abroad was also high, about 120-130 million VND, so many poor families did not dare to think about it," Mr. Cang recalled.

To dispel this fear, commune officials go to each house and each residential group to persuade, using successful cases as evidence. At the same time, they coordinate with businesses to organize propaganda and career orientation.

Over time, people's awareness changed. When the first people sent money to Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China)..., built houses, bought cars, and had a better life, the whole village began to believe. Through those success stories, the overseas labor movement began to spread. Since then, it has brought hope and change to every home.

From having only a few people going abroad, Chieu Luu commune now has hundreds of workers working in developed countries. In 2024 alone, the whole commune had 31 people going abroad to work, introduced vocational training to 158 people, created jobs for 60 workers, reaching 100% of the planned target. In 2024, the average income per capita reached more than 21.2 million VND/year (an increase of 6.2%). Thereby, the poverty rate was only 33.04% (a decrease of 5.9% compared to 2023).

This is just one of many communes in Nghe An province that have "changed their skin" by sending workers to work abroad. According to the latest data from the Nghe An Department of Home Affairs, in the past 5 years, the province has created jobs for 230,763 workers, reaching 109.88% of the plan. This figure is 22% higher than the period 2016 - 2020. Notably, the province has coordinated to send 98,427 people to work abroad for a limited period, continuing to lead the country in labor export.

Need to continue efforts

However, the quality of human resources is still limited, there is a lack of skilled workers; some sectors and localities are not proactive in implementing policies; workers' income is still low compared to the national average. These are major challenges that need to be overcome to improve the quality of employment.

Towards the period of 2026 - 2030, Nghe An aims to create jobs for more than 230,000 workers, focusing on jobs within the province, outside the province and sending workers to work abroad.

The accompanying goal is to increase the rate of trained workers to about 77%, reduce the unemployment rate in urban areas to below 3%, and increase the rate of employment after graduation to over 83%.

To achieve the goals for the 2026 - 2030 period, Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Hoang Phu Hien emphasized that more determination is needed from all levels, sectors, localities and enterprises, in which enterprises play a driving role. Strictly complying with labor laws and policies, improving working conditions, increasing income and welfare will create a sustainable and stable working environment for workers.

In addition, the province will continue to encourage start-ups, innovation, and development of collective economy and craft villages to create jobs on the spot; focus on training according to orders, linking training with job addresses; expand markets, prioritizing high-income, safe markets.

Mr. Hien also emphasized that the province will focus on improving the quality of labor market forecasts and information; promoting the effectiveness of the Employment Service Center; and strengthening the connection between training and recruitment needs. Departments, branches, and localities will closely coordinate to remove difficulties, especially in mountainous areas and ethnic minority areas.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nghe-an-xuat-khau-lao-dong-gop-phan-giam-ngheo-ben-vung-10396479.html