Whether Vietnamese labourers can rise to the occasion and seize the opportunities presented by ASEAN regional integration and the complimentary process of globalization, is highly dependent upon their foresight and preparedness.
According to the roadmap, the AEC should be formally established by late 2015. The AEC with its combined potential market of 600 million people presents the country a widely promising array of opportunities for economic growth benefiting the social welfare of the nation.
According to leading economists from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), employment opportunities will jump by 10% for Vietnamese workers upon the establishment of the AEC.
However, many critically important questions remain unanswered.
In what industries and trades will the 10% increase in jobs the ILO refers to be created? Will Vietnamese workers in some industries lose on their home turf? Will the free transition of labourers in the region help or worsen the unemployment situation in the long run?
According to the ILO Director in the Asia-Pacific region, with the establishment of the AEC, there will be a robust across the board increase in demand for highly skilled workers in the construction, transport, garment and textile, food processing industries.
Additionally, employment opportunities for average skilled workers in the long-term should also increase, but at a much less vigorous pace.
However, at present, the ILO director cautions that Vietnamese workers productivity is considered low in the region, just a little bit better than Lao and Cambodian labourers.
There is an enormous shortage of quality skilled and semi-skilled workers in Vietnam in many fields, the director said adding, it’s paradoxical there is a shortage of skilled workers while simultaneously there is an abundance of university and college graduates in the nation.
However, the fact remains that industrial parks (IP) and export processing zones (EPZ) report they are encountering enormous difficulties in locating and recruiting skilled workers, while thousands of university graduates remain unemployed.
Even in the agro-forestry-fisheries sector, there is a serious deficiency in skilled workers.
The situation stems from shortcomings in vocational training in Vietnam which has not kept pace with the requirements for regional integration, the ILO Director said.
The AEC is expected to create thousands of jobs in Vietnam for highly skilled workers such as accountants, architects, dentists, doctors, nurses, and geologists and tourism-related careers and it is likely Vietnam will lose out on the home turf in these positions, at least in the short term.
The establishment of the AEC is right around the corner and there is not much time left.
Therefore, this is not a time for pessimism or complacency. Vietnamese labourers need to be springing into action to take full advantage of opportunities in the regional deep integration by making thorough preparations.
At first, labourers should obtain information and learn as much about the roadmap to establish the AEC as they can including information on career prospects, workers’ qualifications to work in the region, regulations and conditions for foreigners to work in Vietnam.
(VOV)
In fact, little information has been published for labourers on the benefits and employment opportunities in the transition of labour in the region.
To support labourers, there should also be monumental changes in vocational training activities. It is necessary to revamp the vocational training system to improve the overall skill levels of labourers.
For young people who are preparing to participate in the labour market, they should actively learn about information on career orientations to get better information on employment opportunities and prospects for good incomes when the AEC comes into effect.
VOV
