Vietnam grapples with the prospect of reducing standard working hours as a means to enhance worker well-being and productivity. Amidst fervent debates between labor unions, business entities, and policymakers, striking a delicate balance between socio-economic imperatives and global labor standards emerges as a paramount challenge.
The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has said that Vietnam’s labor market is recovering quite quickly. There is a shortage of workers in some industries, while recruitment demand for many occupations continues to increase. To resolve labor shortages, MoLISA has adopted a policy promoting training and created more favorable conditions for workers to find jobs through the internet.
According to the Hanoi Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Hanoi created over 168,000 jobs in the first nine months of 2022. The Department also approved more than 8,400 positions for foreigners working in the capital, issuing more than 7,110 new work permits for foreigners and reissuing more than 600.
The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has said that Vietnam’s labor market is experiencing uneven development and an imbalance in supply and demand between localities and sectors. Many localities boast industrial parks and export processing zones but only have a small population and workforce. Other localities are focusing on attracting investment but are not capable of handling larger numbers of workers.
During talks on September 6 with visiting Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, Japan’s Minister of Justice Yasuhito Hanashi said the country will be hiring people in a number of professions in the immediate future, with the priority on elderly care. The Ministry of Justice will propose expanding the acceptance of trainees as drivers.
Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung is visiting Japan to strengthen labor cooperation between the two countries. The two have agreed to expand the number of Vietnamese workers going to Japan.
Some 153,523 jobs were created in Hanoi in the first eight months of 2022, representing 96 per cent of the annual plan and 38,728, or 33.7 per cent, more jobs than were created in the first eight months of 2021. The Hanoi Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has forecast that the recruitment needs of businesses will be focused on office, sales, and production staff, electronic component assembly, and other fields.
Many new policies on labor and wages come into effect in September, such as a regulation on a two-day holiday for National Day, regulations on working time and rest periods for employees who operate, maintain, or repair gas distribution pipelines and gas works, and a pilot on work and vocational guidance and training for inmates outside of prison.
A representative from ManpowerGroup Vietnam presented survey data on Vietnam’s labor market at the “Development of a flexible, modern, sustainable and integrated labor market” conference. Low skills and low English use partly contribute to salaries for Vietnamese workers being far behind those in the region.
