Businesses striving to help employees overcome difficulties at year end

Workers at Hoa Phat Steel Pipe Manufacturing Plant (in Hoa Khanh Industrial Park of Da Nang City) are on duty at the end of the year. (Photo: SGGP)

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs stated that it is waiting for the summary report on Tet bonus for workers from different regions in the country. It has been forecast that due to difficulties in manufacturing and trading lately, this year’s bonus will not be as high as that of last year, but businesses are still trying to maintain this bonus at a value of a month’s salary. PouYuen Vietnam Co. Ltd, for example, said that its employees will receive a Tet bonus of VND6.5-26 million (US$275-1,100) depending on their seniority.

In Quang Nam Province, several companies have decided to keep Tet bonus for their workers and tried not to lay off staff at the end of the year, despite receiving fewer orders than usual. Similarly, in Dong Nai Province, 214 businesses have announced the Tet bonus at an average value of a month’s salary.

Another worrying matter is year-end layoff, which might lead to low social security among laborers. Right after Vietnam Samho Co. Ltd. announced its layoff plan, Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center delivered a notice to related people about 2,200 job openings in 9 companies. 770 out of 1,083 unemployed people immediately had work again. A similar action has been done for laid-off laborers of Ty Hung Co. in Binh Tan Distict, and 934 people were able to find suitable work while 579 wished to come back to their hometown.

Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Lam informed that at the end of 2022, in the city, there are businesses which have to lay off employees due to operational difficulties, and there are others which want to hire new people.

For instance, in December, enterprises in the trading, service, industrial production sectors are in need of 23,000-25,000 workers. Businesses in hi-tech parks in HCMC also wish to hire 2,400 positions in the next 3 months. Meanwhile, those sited in export processing zones and industrial parks report nearly 13,000 job openings in the first 6 months of 2023.

These valuable information pieces have all been announced by HCMC Employment Service Center to laborers at its office and on its official website. It has also actively sought job openings in neighboring provinces to timely introduce to laborers in the city in order to maintain their social security.

With the same determination, Binh Duong Province and Dong Nai Province are both trying to monitor the recruitment needs of businesses sited there to connect between the unemployed and needy companies. Jobless people are consulted to make good use of their time by upgrading their professional skills and educational background in order to increase their own competitiveness. These two provinces also launch new promising projects to attract investments and create jobs for workers.

Workers at Dony Garment Co. Ltd. (in HCMC) are busy finishing orders at the year end. (Photo: SGGP)

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu informed on the caretaking program for laborers in the 2023 Lunar New Year that local labor unions are launching their own ‘Tet Reunion – Spring Bonding’ scheme, with practical activities like free tickets to hometowns and back to work, visits to laborers not able to go back to hometown, gifts for 15,000 exceptional poor workers (VND1.3 million or $55 each package), financial aid delivery to 1 million poor workers (VND500,000 or $21 each person).

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor proposed that the Government consider introducing a new policy to timely support laborers at the three levels of losing job, having labor contract suspended, and having working hours reduced. This support should be similar to that for laborers encountering trouble during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Vietnam Federation of Trade and Industry said that it is necessary to use the unemployment insurance fund, which has a surplus of VND55.6 trillion ($2.35 billion) to help the unemployed.

Standing Vice Chairman Tran Doan Trung of the HCMC Confederation of Labor shared that the city’s budget for worker caretaking on Tet holiday is VND140 billion ($5.93 million). This will be used for 10,000 poor worker households that cannot come back to hometown (VND1 million or $42 per family), and as 30,000-35,000 coach, train, airplane tickets for needy laborers. There will also be coaches taking 1,500 poor workers back to their hometowns.

Quang Nam Province allocates VND7 billion ($296,500) to care for 13,000 members of the provincial Confederation of Labor, while Dong Nai Province will deliver Tet gift (worth VND500,000 or $21 each package) to 60,000 laborers here and ask for the help of the provincial People’s Committee for another 70,000 poor workers.

Binh Duong Province is planning to give poor people unable to come back to hometown on Tet holiday a financial aid of VND1 million ($42) each, double the one of last year. The estimated budget comes to VND215 billion ($9.1 million).

Other provinces like Long An, Tien Giang, Soc Trang, and Can Tho City also launch similar aid schemes to support poor laborers to enjoy a warm Tet holiday, with a gift of around VND500,000 ($21) per person. Particularly, Soc Trang Province is going to deliver 34 houses (worth VND50 million or $2,100 per house), built with the help of the local labor union, to exceptionally poor laborers.