Vietnam
Workshop Report
Summary
Report
of the
National Workshop on Youth employment
Hanoi, 4
December 2001
Background
of organizing Workshop
The
Vietnamese population is reaching nearly 80 million and youth is now
accounting for major proportion of the total workforce (40
millions), job creation for workers and particularly for young
people is, therefore, always an urgent demand. According to annual
survey on employment, youth unemployment rate is three times higher
than total unemployment rate of the population engaged in economic
activities. For this fact, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has
to face a new challenge: creating 7.5-8.0 million jobs for workers
nationwide, mostly for young people in 5 years more. Since the
urgent demand of employment for youth, the Presidium of the Vietnam
Youth Federation (VYF) has come up with numerous initiatives and
made great efforts to partly address problems related to youth
employment. National Workshop on youth employment is one of the
significant attempts.
Organizing
Committee, guests and participants of the workshop
Under
permission of the Presidum of the Vietnasm Youth Federation, the
International Department, the Youth Research Institute, the
Department of Working Youth in Urban Areas, the Job Service and
Vocational Training Center for Youth of VYF co-organized a National
Workshop on Youth employment
- National
Workshop on Youth employment funded by the International Labour
Organization-ILO was held in December 4th, 2001 in Tayho Hotel.
- Mr. Vu
Van Tam, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh CYU
delivered opening speech.
- Mr. Tran
Dac Loi, Member of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh CYU,
Vice-president of the Vietnam Youth Federation, Chairman of the
Workshop presented a briefing on "Country paper on Youth
Employment -current situation and solutions".
-
Participants of the workshop consists of 44 directors and staffs of
23 Job Service and Vocational Training Centers of Youth Unions
nationwide.
- Guests
invited to the workshop are leaders of Ministry of Labour, War
Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Investment and Planning,
Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, leaders of functioning departments of the Ho Chi Minh CYU/
VYF, reporters of newspaper, radio and television in Hanoi.
-
Ms.RoseMarie Greve, Director of International Labour Organization in
Hanoi, Ms. Elizabeth Morris, Specialist ILO on Labour Market, Human
resources and Employment.
Content of
the Workshop
1. Opening
session
* In the
opening speech, Mr. Vu Van Tam, Secretary of the Central Committee
of the Ho Chi Minh CYU highlighted the importance of youth
employment and evaluated the implementation of the Resolution of the
Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh CYU by the youth programs
carried out to address problems of youth employment during recent
years. Mr. Vu Van Tam also called upon cooperation and assistance of
the related Ministries and Organizations to seek for the most
effective measures to achieve the goal of " 6.5 - 7 million
jobs in 5 year more".
- On behalf
of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh CYU, Mr. Vu Van Tam
extended sincere gratitudes to the International Labour Organization
-ILO for funding the VYF to organize this important Workshop. Mr. Vu
Van Tam also highly appreciated the profound approaches and
recommendations of ILO in the area of employment and labour market
which has made a significant contribution to help the VYF find new
appropriate measures for youth unemployment situation in Vietnam.
* Ms.
Elizabeth Morris, Specialist ILO on Labour Market, human resources
and employment delivered a speech in the opening session emphasizing
youth employment is an important issue in every country all over the
world. Ms. Elizabeth Morris hopes that the long-term cooperative
relation between the VYF and ILO will be further promoted in support
of more and better jobs for young people of Vietnam.
2. Plenary
Assembly:
The Plenary
Assembly started in the morning with 4 important speeches regarded
as key ingredients of the Workshop.
* Mr. Tran
Dac Loi, Member of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh CYU,
Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Federation briefed on Country
paper on Youth Employment -current situation and solutions.
* Mr. Hoang
Van Dung, Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
stated in his speech that the concerns of Vietnamese enterprises
are labour market, knowledge and professional skills that employers
are required to meet. Mr. Hoang Van Dung expressed his strong
support in the cooperation between Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the Ho Chi Minh CYU in generating employment for youth.
* Mr. Doan
Mau Diep, Deputy-Head of the Department Policies -Labour market
-Employment of MOLISA presented the State policy on employment and
the interests of all workers. Mr. D. M. Diep points out problems of
supply and demand in labour market. The demand of labour is still
increasing, yet the labour market insufficiently supplies skilled
workers due to a large number of labour has not been trained or lack
of qualification to meet job requirements.
* The
speech on " Decent work for young people: Key priorities and
Action Agenda" by Ms. Elizabeth Morris was highly appreciated
by all participants. It is an important message to those who are
concerned with youth employment and gave the listeners an insight
into the importance of youth employment. Youth employment is not
only issue of one country but engaging the attention and efforts of
UN agencies and governments. Ms. Morris also brought up
recommendations and proposals to governments, social organizations,
and especially youth organizations and stated that it is a necessity
of promoting a synchronous cooperation between social levels in
finding out effective measures for youth employment.
- The
Plenary Assembly continued with 3 key-note speeches by the
representatives which are the thematically issues for 3 group
discussions in the afternoon. Key-note speakers are as the roles of
facilitators of the group discussions.
Group 1:
thematical issues for discussion: " Enhancing the quality of
vocational training means more job opportunities for young
people"
Group 2:
" Improving ability of job consultants and creation for Job
services and Vocational Training Centers for youth".
Group 3:
"Informatics and employment opportunities for youth"
Most of the
participants are directors and staffs of Job service and Vocational
training Centers in the system of Youth Unions, representatives of
enterprises and students, they are those who have an insight in the
problem of supply and demand in labour market, and required
qualification of workers than any one else. It is agreed by all the
participants in the group discussions that youth employment is an
urgent demand of society and that workers are in need of being
trained (short-term or long- term training depends on requirement of
enterprises), appropriate policies of government and priorities on
youth employment, efforts of workers and cooperation of all social
levels.
After two
days of discussion (5th -6th December 2001), it is agreed by all
participants to submit the following proposals to Government, the Ho
Chi Minh CYU and ILO.
3. Proposals
The
National Program targeting on hunger alleviation and poverty
reduction, and employment in the period of 2001-2005 was approved by
the Prime Minister dated in September 9th 2001. The main goals of
the program are to generate employment for 1,4 million people each
year, reduce the unemployment rate in urban area to below 6% and
increase the real work time for rural labour to 7.5% bay 2005. The
participants agreed to propose programs in order to obtain the goals
as follows:
3.1. To
provide the financial support to rural youth in developing household
economy by loan programs.
3.2. To
encourage youth to undertake key projects on utilizing land and
other natural resources.
3.3 To
develop public and industrial areas, resorts and services.
3.4. To
develop small and medium enterprises in order to draw a good number
of young labour.
3.5. To
carry out effectively international projects/programs to serve
institutional work and generating employment.
3.6 To
create opportunities for labourers working overseas in planned time.
3.7. To
look for and utilize the financial support of ILO and other UN
agencies to orgasnize some other national workshop with concerning
subjects to employment.
