The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has told all enterprises that they must develop long-term policies for training and job replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Bui Sy Loi, deputy chairman of the National Assembly Committee of Social Affairs, told the Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper that enterprises taking part in social insurance and unemployment insurance must pay salaries for workers during the epidemic.

He noted that during the SARS epidemic, the preparation of human resources was crucial, and thus a strategy for human resource development must be created for the long term to maintain and increase staff quality.

Enterprises must also have a strategy to recruit new local workers.

Thousands of workers have been affected by businesses suspending operations and narrowing production, but most large enterprises are still maintaining normal operations.

The labour market has been relatively stable since the outbreak, according to Loi.

Thirty provinces have reported that out of 181,597 enterprises, only 322 enterprises have temporarily stopped operation, and 553 have scaled down production.

In addition, 25 cooperatives have temporarily stopped, while five of more than 5,060 cooperatives in 30 provinces have cut production scale.

As many as 1,027 workers have lost their jobs during the outbreak, including 365 workers in the hospitality and catering services industry, and 106 workers in the manufacturing industry.

Aviation industry  

Experts say the aviation industry has been the hardest hit. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV), the Chinese market accounts for more than 26% of international flight volume for Vietnamese airlines. The temporary suspension of flights to China has caused airlines to lose more than 400,000 passengers a month.

CAAV forecasts that domestic airlines will suffer losses of over VND25 trillion (US$1.08 million)

To support airlines, CAAV has asked the Transport Ministry to allow airlines to discount air services, and to require service providers such as caterers to reduce costs for airlines.

Duong Tri Thanh, general director of Vietnam Airlines, told the Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper that 40 of its aircraft were not being used during the outbreak.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the development of the aviation industry by three to four years, and has affected the work schedule of more than 20,000 of its employees, according to Thanh.

Vietnam Airlines plans to cut salaries by 20 to 40% for the leadership and reduce the number of employees during certain shifts.

For foreign pilots who work for Vietnam Airlines, unpaid leave will be available for two weeks, while Vietnamese staff working in other countries will be allowed to take unpaid leave for two week to a month.