“Future of Work: The Choice of Vietnam” was the theme of the Labour Forum 2019 held in Hanoi on November 27.

Delegates pose for a group photo at the forum 

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), partners and the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Country Office for Vietnam.

In his remarks, MoLISA Deputy Minister Le Van Thanh said the forum takes place in the context that Vietnam and 186 other ILO member countries are celebrating the centennial anniversary of the organisation.

The ILO has publicised its global report on the future of work with impacting factors like population aging, climate change, new technology development and digital transformation, he added.

Vietnam is one of the countries hardest hit by climate change, Thanh stressed, pointing out drought and salt-water intrusion in the Mekong Delta that are threatening the livelihood of tens of millions of locals.

The situation requires both urgent and long-term solutions to help people transform farming models and adapt to the changes, he said.

According to the official, Vietnam has rolled out policies and guidelines in response to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Therefore, the forum offers an opportunity for delegates to look into urgent issues regarding labour, social welfare and human resources development, along with challenges to Vietnam in the time ahead.

Vu Minh Tien, head of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, touched upon opportunities and challenges to labour and social welfare as Vietnam is striving to reach the upper-middle-income status.

Delegates shared the view that Vietnam is benefiting from its young population, with a total of 56 million workers.

Pointing  out the low rate of trained labourers (23 percent) and bottlenecks in vocational training, they suggested the Government revamp relevant policies in order to encourage businesses to take a more active part in this regard and promote the role of vocational training centres.