Sustainable development from labor equality

Promoting gender equality in labor and employment is a goal that clearly demonstrates each locality’s commitment to social progress. This is both a requirement to ensure women’s rights and a driving force for sustainable growth. In Thai Nguyen, this process is being implemented with specific solutions, aiming for a fair labor market where everyone has the conditions to develop their capacity and contribute to the community.

In recent years, awareness of gender equality has gradually changed, contributing to improving the quality of life of women in Lan Quan hamlet (Quang Son commune). In the photo: Women in Lan Quan hamlet grow buckwheat flowers to attract tourists .

Career opportunities are increasingly open to women.

As a rapidly developing industrial province in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region, Thai Nguyen currently has nearly 800,000 workers. Gender equality policies that have been continuously implemented over the years have created the premise for women to access quality jobs, while affirming their role in many fields.

The proportion of female workers in the business sector has increased steadily over the years. They participate in production in many positions, from manual labor to management, executive, technical or line operation positions. Many businesses consider female workers to be a well-organized force, with a high sense of responsibility and the ability to adapt quickly, suitable for the modern industrial production environment.

In agriculture , many models led by women have created positive effects. Hao Dat Tea Cooperative (Tan Cuong commune) is a typical example. With about 50 workers, of which women account for 60-70%, this model operates in the direction of creating conditions for women to be trained in skills, access processing technology and develop their skills.

Ms. Dao Thanh Hao, Director of Hao Dat Tea Cooperative, said: “When properly supported, women will be able to lead production groups and proactively participate in brand building. By focusing on the human factor, we have improved product quality and contributed positively to the Tan Cuong tea brand.”

Female workers account for 60-70% at Hao Dat Tea Cooperative (Tan Cuong commune).

In the industrial sector, women are also present in large-scale enterprises such as Samsung Electronics Vietnam Thai Nguyen, TNG, VietCap... The proportion of female workers in some units reaches 60 to 70%. They hold many important positions such as technicians, team leaders or line managers. The working environment based on fair and transparent evaluation criteria helps women have more motivation to stay long-term.

Ms. Tran Thi Diem Huong, Team Leader of Unit 2, VietCap Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company, said: Respect, policy support and promotion opportunities give women confidence in their future careers.

These changes affirm that when given equal access to opportunities, women can fully develop their capacity and become a pioneering force in the socio-economic development of the province.

Three pillars of worker support

Since the beginning of 2025, Thai Nguyen has deployed a group of employment support solutions based on three pillars: Consulting, connecting and training. Each pillar aims to create a continuous support network for workers, especially vulnerable groups such as women, ethnic minorities, poor workers or workers returning home after the pandemic.

The Provincial Employment Service Center organizes activities such as: Peak Month of connecting labor supply and demand, Job Fair or online job exchange. These activities help workers grasp recruitment needs, and at the same time help businesses access suitable human resources.

Female workers account for a high proportion at TNG Investment and Trading Joint Stock Company.

By the end of October 2025, the Center had organized 72 regular job fairs, 12 mobile fairs and 26 consulting conferences. 9,399 people were directly consulted and 1,701 businesses were surveyed for recruitment needs. As a result, 1,684 people successfully found jobs, reaching 120% of the plan, and 4,933 workers were introduced to job opportunities.

The highlight of the job matching activity is the introduction of mobile trading sessions to the grassroots, especially in remote and isolated areas. People do not have to travel far to receive labor market information and receive direct career and training advice. This approach narrows the gap in employment opportunities between labor groups, while improving the efficiency of using local human resources.

The province's support programs not only meet immediate needs but also contribute to forming a foundational workforce for long-term development. When the labor market is organized transparently and equally, workers can easily choose suitable careers, while businesses have the conditions to recruit a workforce that meets production requirements.

The Provincial Women's Union organized a training course to equip officials in the commune-level political system with knowledge on gender equality and skills to implement gender mainstreaming by 2025.

Moving forward with gender equality

Gender equality is a requirement associated with the industrialization and modernization process. As Thai Nguyen province shifts its economic structure towards industry and services, organizing vocational training, improving skills and expanding promotion opportunities for women becomes an important content, helping women access quality jobs, promote their capacity and actively participate in the local socio-economic development.

According to Ms. Tran Kim Dung, Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union: Women account for nearly 50% of Thai Nguyen's workforce, of which half are working in the formal sector. This is a force that strongly contributes to production, services, education, and health. The results achieved demonstrate the province's efforts over many years to implement gender equality policies, from communication to raise awareness to support vocational training, start-up loans, and protection of rights at the workplace.

However, many challenges remain. The number of women in the informal sector is large, employment is unstable; income in some industries is not commensurate with effort; access to high-tech fields is limited. As the trend of digitalization and automation grows, women risk being left behind if they are not supported to improve their skills.

Quyet Tien Women's Association (Hop Thanh Commune) organized an exchange to learn about gender equality.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Bao, Head of the Department of Labor and Employment (Department of Home Affairs), said: Thai Nguyen aims to build a fair labor market, in which gender bias is eliminated in the recruitment and employment process. The province focuses on inspecting the implementation of labor laws in enterprises with a large number of female employees, thereby ensuring rights regarding working hours, welfare and labor safety. Along with that, there is an orientation to encourage women to participate in non-traditional occupations such as technology, precision mechanics, and electronics engineering.

Gender equality is the foundation for a developed society, because when women have equal opportunities to men in education, career and income, human resources are optimally developed. To achieve this goal, the government needs to have appropriate policies, businesses need progressive management thinking, and women themselves need to proactively improve their capacity and seize opportunities.

Thai Nguyen's recent steps show its determination to achieve sustainable development goals, putting people at the center and considering gender equality as an important driving force of that process.

In reality, gender equality is not just a slogan but needs to be demonstrated through specific policies and practical actions, with the cooperation of the whole society. Building a safe, transparent, non-discriminatory working environment, combined with vocational training and skill improvement for women is an important foundation to narrow the gender gap, maximize the potential of female workers, and at the same time form a sustainable and effective workforce.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202511/phat-trien-ben-vung-tu-binh-dang-lao-dong-e7d343e/