A week after laying off workers, Ty Hung Co. Ltd. in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City still faces a shortage of orders, while many former workers of the company have rushed to find new jobs.

Some have done odd jobs in other companies, some have done outwork, while some others are waiting to begin their new jobs in new companies. 

The rented room of Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, a 28-year-old resident of southern Dong Thap Province, is now full of boxes of raw goods that she receives for outsourcing at home.

“These days, I receive goods from an acquaintance to make ends meet, but I may do the job for two to three more days as the goods are exhausted," Dung said while processing the goods.

“I intend to return to my homeland for several days before coming back to the city later to seek a new job."

Her company gave her the sack due to a fall in orders, so Dung traveled from Binh Tan to Binh Chanh District to take goods, which are rotating toys hanging on cribs, for processing at home.

She is paid VND1,000 for each product. If she works hard from morning to night, she can earn VND180,000-200,000 (US$7.5-8.3) a day.

Her husband and her are workers. Her salary is used to pay home rent and for daily needs, while his husband’s income is sent to her parents, who are bringing up their five-year-old child, and her parents-in-law.

There are many recruitment banners of other companies outside her company. However, workers still find it hard to seek new jobs, especially when the Lunar New Year, or Tet, holiday is coming.

T.B., 42, residing in Tra Vinh Province, said, “Other companies are also recruiting workers but they are far away or operate in different sectors.

“My husband is working for a tire company and my son is studying nearby, so I cannot move to Go Vap or Thu Duc for work," B. shared.

“I have worked there for 15 years and I have no motorbike. If I work far, I have to buy a motorbike but I cannot afford it."

It is not easy for old garment workers such as B. to start a new job at the age of 40-50.

“Viet Tien [Garment Corporation] is also recruiting [workers] but it is far and produces clothes, while I sewed shoes earlier," said Tran Thi Giup, who is 46 years old now.

“Earlier, I sat to work, so I am afraid of standing for the whole day.”

These days, she and two to three women in her boarding house come to an adjacent apartment building to seek jobs, probably as cleaners. 

Giup worked for her old company for 18 years but was fired as its orders fell.

Her parents and parents-in-law are old, so she and her husband must send money to support them.

“We have no rice field or land in our homeland, so we do not know what to do if we return there,” Giup said.

Nguyen Thi Huyen, a 32-year-old resident of Tien Giang Province, who is nurturing two children, is also looking for new work after losing her job.

“My husband is a mason and he was unemployed last month. He started his new job early this month, when I became jobless," Huyen said. 

“We have two children, with one being a grade-five student and one being 16 months old, so we are in trying conditions. I am waiting to enter another company which is four to five kilometers from my house.

“I did not ride a motorbike earlier, so I have to travel to work by bus.”

Supporting laborers in looking for jobs

These days, many workers of Ty Hung Co. Ltd. returned to the firm to complete social insurance and unemployment procedures.

Many officials at the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center under the municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs have come to the company to instruct laborers to complete the procedures and introduce them to new jobs.

Le Thi Kieu Phuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, said the center has visited enterprises which downsized their workforce to provide laborers with information about firms having recruitment demands to help workers quickly find new jobs.

“The center has also reviewed and worked with many enterprises with good policies and introduced them to enterprises which have given the sack to a large number of workers," Phuong added.

“Most recently, 18 enterprises that have recruitment plans have been introduced to a company in Cu Chi District which plans to fire 1,400 laborers.

“Although workers [of the company in Cu Chi] will work until December 5, we make a connection early so that workers can have new jobs as soon as they complete their tasks there.”

Furthermore, the information about job exchanges organized by the center will be provided to laborers.

Over $125 million proposed to be used for employment support

According to a leader of the Department of Employment under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, to prevent unemployment and resume the labor market, capital sources to ensure jobs for laborers should be enhanced.

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies has urged the Ministry of Planning and Investment to propose the government allow the disbursement of the capital for employment support, maintenance and expansion totaling some VND3 trillion ($125.2 million) for 2023 this year.

The Ministries of Finance and Planning and Investment should seek resources to increase capital for job creation.

They can use the unused capital for policies in the framework of the country’s post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development program.

In addition, the Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs of localities should direct job service centers to review and learn about recruitment demands and downsizing plans of enterprises, especially for foreign indirect investment.

Agencies need to provide guidelines on the implementation of social and unemployment insurance policies to jobless laborers, introduce them to new jobs, and connect labor supply and demand.

Phan Van Anh, vice-chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that this week or next week at the latest, the general confederation, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry will hold a meeting to assess the impact of the shortage of orders on enterprises and laborers, uncover the reasons of the issue, and propose solutions to the government.

Anh said if all enterprises facing a decline in orders give the sack to their laborers, the impact on society will be huge. Once they secure more orders again, they will find it hard to call their laborers back.

As of early this month, some 600,000 laborers have been affected by enterprises’ shortage of orders, Anh said, adding that the situation is complicated and unpredictable.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has assigned trade unions at all levels to work with employers to create favorable conditions for workers, such as paying salaries and asking them to take turns working.

Labor unions have also been asked to work with localities, departments, and agencies to introduce laborers from firms suffering from a lack of orders to enterprises in need of laborers.

Some 40-50 percent of laborers losing jobs in Binh Duong and Dong Nai Provinces have been offered jobs. 

Anh affirmed that to support workers in the short term, the general confederation will open 22 Tet fairs for underprivileged workers, especially those in industrial parks and export processing zones in 22 localities with a high number of workers.

“Tet fairs will be opened across the country from December 15 until Tet,” Anh added.

Mekong Delta localities arrange jobs for returnees

The authorities of localities in the Mekong Delta region have sought ways to support not only enterprises facing difficulties in securing orders but also unemployed laborers returning to the localities before the Tet holiday.

Tran Van Lau, chairman of the People’s Committee of Soc Trang Province, said the province has asked the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs and districts, towns, and cities to care for local residents losing jobs and returning to the province from other localities and suggested support policies.

Soc Trang asked enterprises in the province to admit jobless laborers from other cities and provinces depending on their conditions and capability, thus facilitating residents to earn incomes and stabilize their lives.

Ca Mau Province currently has more than 25,000 laborers working in other cities and provinces, mainly in industrial parks in Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Tu Hoang An, deputy director of the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, said, “The department has proactively reviewed and understood the situation to inform laborers of the list of enterprises with a recruitment demand.

“Moreover, we have directed the relevant units to accelerate the handling of applications for unemployment benefits, and enhance job consulting activities so that laborers can return to the labor market early and stabilize their lives."

In Dong Thap Province, Thai Ba Viet, head of the labor, jobs, and insurance division under the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, said he will continue asking the employment service center to create conditions for laborers to register for and receive unemployment benefits if they are covered with social and unemployment insurance.

The province will also increase job exchanges and encourage laborers to proactively seek jobs.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs of Long An Province have required enterprises to review and rearrange their production and business processes, enhance the training of laborers, restructure their workforce, maintain their existing markets, and expand to new markets to secure more orders.

If enterprises lay off laborers, they must do the job in line with the Labor Code.

The Long An People’s Committee has issued a document asking the relevant departments, agencies, and units to take measures to ensure enterprises’ compliance with the regulations on labor, stabilize production and business activities, and prevent labor disputes and strikes.

Chau Van Ly, director of the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, said, “Until the end of the year, we will direct the employment center to organize an additional 12 job introduction and consulting points for laborers. 

“We will also strengthen the vocational training for laborers to improve their vocational skills to maintain their jobs.” 

Meanwhile, a leader of the People’s Committee of An Giang Province, said enterprises in the province are in need of 7,000 laborers. The figure is over 22,000 in the Mekong Delta.

An Giang is fostering the introduction of jobs to laborers.

“However, laborers want to seek jobs that are similar to their previous jobs. Although the province introduces well-paid jobs, they still refuse the jobs," the provincial official added.

“If they accept the jobs, they need training but the number of these laborers is small. 

“For the long term, An Giang will call on enterprises to increase their investment in industrial parks to create jobs."

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