Tripartite Youth Employement Forum

HANOI (ILO News)- The global youth employment crisis has reached an unprecedented level. Globally, young people are three times more likely than adults to be out of job, and four out of ten people unemployed worldwide are young people. In Vietnam, the 15 to 24-year-olds make up the largest group in unemployment, accounting for 50.4 per cent of the unemployed in total. Creating decent work* opportunities for young workers has become a high priority for Vietnam.

On 29th March 2012, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), in collaboration with ILO Office in Vietnam and social partners, organized the Tripartite Forum on Youth Employment. Participating in the forum were more than 70 young people, representing young workers, youth organizations, social partners, line ministries, and international experts.

“The creation of decent job opportunities for all, particularly for those aged 15 to 24 [the global definition for youth], is an important and challenging issue in Vietnam,” said the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director Mr Gyorgy Sziraczki at the Forum. “Every year over one million young people enter the labour market in Vietnam. Many of them are struggling to find job and remain in employment.”

Young women face more difficulty finding work than their male counterpart. In 2010, female youth unemployment rate for Vietnam stood at 8.3 per cent, compared to 5.9 per cent for young men.

But youth unemployment is only the tip of the iceberg since for those who do have a job, the quality of jobs is often an issue. A large proportion of young people toils in low-productivity, vulnerable and low-paid informal work.

“The Vietnamese Government has been making concerted efforts helping young people access and stay in the labour market through education and training policies, proactive employment services and job promotion schemes,” said Mr Doan Mau Diep, Vice Minister of MOLISA. However he noted: “There’s still a long way ahead and the Government should continue focusing their resources to improve youth employment for the sustainable development of the country.”

The forum established a platform for interaction among young people, policy-makers and the social partners to discuss the current situation and identify best practices, put forward recommendations to promote decent work for young people in Vietnam.

Discussions and good practices shared by the youth themselves at the event were well received by the MOLISA, which showed a strong determination to promote decent work for the youth in Vietnam.

For further information please contact:

Ms Nguyen Thanh Hai
Head, Multilateral Division

International Cooperation Department

Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs

Email: [email protected]

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Ms Dang Thuy Duong
Admin/Finance Assistant
Programme Unit
ILO Country office for Viet Nam
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