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Industrial parks seek to aid laid-off workers
Thousands of workers at industrial parks and export processing zones in the southern region are seeking new jobs as enterprises cut their workforce due to impacts of the global economic crisis.
Some 3,000 jobs have been slashed by IP enterprises in HCM City while the rate of new hires are about 20 per cent lower than last year, according to Nguyen Thanh Tung, director of the job centre of HCM City Export Processing Zones Authority (HEPZA).
Meanwhile, many workers recruited as recently as September were made redundant just a month later as sales contracts were cancelled, Tung said, with the electronics and engineering sectors most heavily affected.
A number of enterprises at the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, however, were offering their workers 70 per cent of their salaries for rotational days-off instead of an outright lay-off, saying that they feared that they would be unable to recruit sufficiently skilled workers when the economic situation improves.
"Industrial park enterprises are giving top priority to holding onto their existing labour forces, especially skilled workers," said Tung.
A few enterprises less affected by the economic downturn were taking the opportunity to recruit skilled workers already sacked, Tung said, with over ten IP enterprises in HCM City offering opportunities to workers who lost their jobs from enterprises facing insolvency or bankruptcy.
One HCM City footwear company has offered to hire about 1,000 laid-off workers, while, in the neighbouring province of Binh Duong, footwear makers, garment makers and food processing companies have also put up help-wanted signs.
Trade unions in both HCM City and Binh Duong were also helping laid-off workers find new employment opportunities.
UK-Viet Nam trade
Bilateral trade between the UK and Viet Nam was further strengthened at the second UK-Viet Nam Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in London on December 2, chaired by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) chief executive Andrew Cahn.
Fifteen Vietnamese delegates, led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh, discussed transparency of financial information, royalties on mining and exploration, liquor import taxes, Viet Nam’s progress towards meeting WTO commitments, regulation and monitoring of liquefied petroleum gas, a memorandum of understanding between Vietrade and UKTI, UK support on anti-dumping actions; and the status of Viet Nam’s market economy.
"In these tough times, we strongly believe we must work together to avoid protectionism and overcome obstacles to increased commerce between the UK and Viet Nam. That is what makes this JETCO process so important," said Cahn.
"Through the UK-Viet Nam JETCO, we can show that our respective governments are working to improve their business climates and encourage greater bilateral trade and investment."
Since the first JETCO meeting, a number of successes have been recorded. HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank were the first overseas banks to receive local licences in September 2008, and Viet Nam has tariffs on all spirits from 45 per cent to 60 per cent.
Established in September 2007, JETCO is a tool to help promote and develop trade, address trade barriers and ultimately create a better business climate between the two countries.
Markets expect grim Tet
Supermarket managers are worried about poor sales during the coming Tet (lunar new year) holidays as global economic woes keep customers from making purchases.
Vu Vinh Phu, chairman of the Ha Noi Supermarts Association, said that purchases at supermarts in the capital city had decreased 5-10 per cent from the same period last year.
Phu said that a seasonal sales increase of only about 20 per cent was expected this year.
"As customers’ budgets become tighter, they naturally think of ways to cut costs."
Prices of products at supermarts were always higher than at traditional markets, Phu noted, but while there were several major fruit wholesale markets in the south, there were none in the north. Customers were paying high prices, but they weren’t being passed on to farmers.
Shrimp was selling at VND90,000/kg in Thai Binh Province, but was wholesaling for as high as VND160,000/kg at Chau Long market in Ha Noi.
Phu blamed low productivity and poor product preservation for high production costs. Productivity in Viet Nam was 2-15 times lower than in regional countries. In Thailand, for instance, sugar cane yield is 120 tonnes per hectare, twice that of Viet Nam, Phu said.
Viet Nam News
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