Employment rate reaches 97.24% in Vietnam
EMPLOYMENT RATE REACHES 97.24 PERCENT
Ha Noi, Oct. 25 (VNA) -- An estimated 39,489,000 people aged 15 upwards have permanent employment in Viet Nam. The country's employment rate now stands at 97.24 percent, announced the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, MOLISA, on Oct. 25.
The announcement was based on a survey conducted by the MOLISA in the period ending July 1, 2001.
The urban unemployment rate has been reduced slightly (0.24 percent) compared with last year, but still remains high at 6.28 percent. The average working time in rural areas increased to 74.2 percent in 2001 from 71 percent in 1996.
The survey showed that 36.5 percent of the urban work-force have attained at least a general secondary education, showing the country's progress towards becoming a knowledge-led economy. Vocational training, however, has shown weakness as only 17 percent of the national workforce have been trained with a lifeskill.
The national labour plan calls for around 7.5 million more permanent jobs by 2005, or almost twice as many as the current figure, namely 1.5 million jobs a year.
It also calls for efforts to bring the urban unemployment rate down to 5.6 percent from its current rate of 6.28 percent, while increasing the working time in rural areas to 80 percent against 74.2 percent currently.
The Government has pledged great support for the effort to improve employment in Viet Nam, allocating VND 22,580 billion to the poverty alleviation and job promotion programme over the next five years.
The Government has also promised to invest more in the development of services, tourism, and infrastructure facilities.
Legal support will include policies that seek to create a level-playing field for different economic sectors in order to help boost production and services, thus generating more jobs, said the MOLISA source.--VNA
