Workers at an electronic parts assembly factory in Thai Nguyen province. (Photo: VNA) As Vietnam is moving forward after the COVID-19 pandemicwas controlled, the country has a unique opportunity to create moreand better jobs, better places to work and to increaseproductivity and skills in its electronics supply chain.
Vietnam has recorded a continuous year-on-year increase inelectronics export values, which now account for one-third of the totalnational export values. As one of the biggest electronics exporters in theworld, Vietnam’s export values in 2021 climbed up to more than 108 billion USD.The electronics sector employs more than 1 million workers.
However, the industry mainly focuses on low-value-added andlabour-intensive outsourcing and assembly activities.
“Among the biggest challenges faced by enterprises are majorupheavals in human resources, including labour shortage. How to attract workersto return to work, how to create decent work for them is now a difficultquestion,” VCCI Vice Chairman Hoang Quang Phong addressed the forum.
Preliminary results of the latest enterprise survey conducted byVCCI with ILO support show that around 60 per cent of respondents found ashortage of skilled workers as a moderate to severe challenge in theelectronics sector. Half of the enterprises also named the technical skills ofsupervisors and managers as another major issue.
In that context, ensuring resilient, inclusive andsustainable enterprises in the manufacturing sectors, including the electronicsindustry, is a top priority to maintain growth and remain competitive globally.
“This includes attention to decent work to be able to sustain theindustry’s competitiveness in the global market and contribute to the country’ssocio-economic development,” said ILO Vietnam Director Ingrid Christensen.
This is in line with the ILO Global Call to Action for aHuman-centred Recovery, which focuses on four interrelated pillars – inclusivegrowth and employment, protection of workers, universal social protection andsocial dialogue.
“The country may sustain the growth of the industry with properinvestment in decent work conditions including the facilitation of socialdialogue and participation in programmes promoting workplace compliance,” Christensenadded.
Electronics businesses have developed a channel of mutual supportto effectively practise social dialogue at all levels to increase productivityand create better working conditions. This practice is expected to spread toother key export sectors nationwide.
“Social dialogue will play a key role in ensuring sustainablesupply chains,” said Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam Ambassador GiorgioAliberti.
“Promoting decent work is key to reaching an inclusive,sustainable and resilient electronics industry in Vietnam."
He also emphasised that the requirements of investors, consumersand legislators around the world to promote decent work in global supply chainsare on the rise.
Through several projects funded by the EU and other donors,the ILO, in close collaboration with VCCI, supports partners to addresswork deficits and improve global supply chains in the industry./.
VNA
