Concerns arise in Nghi Xa…

(Baonghean)Visiting Nghi Xa (Nghi Loc) during the last days of the year, unlike the hustle and bustle of other places, the pace of life in Nghi Xa remains slow and peaceful. Many people of working age still have free time to go from house to house drinking green tea, from one day to the next… This is because they lack work.

Nghi Xa commune leads Nghi Loc district in the area of ​​agricultural land reclaimed for industrial zone construction. Of the 2,104 workers currently employed in Nghi Xa, only 646 (30.7%) have full employment. The remaining 1,094 are underemployed and 364 have lost their jobs (69.3%). Therefore, the labor demand in Nghi Xa remains very high.

Speaking with Mr. Bui Dinh Thang, the head of Hamlet 7, we learned that people aged 35-40 and above usually only work as construction workers, laborers, or motorbike taxi drivers. Ms. Bui Thi Minh (born in 1968) from Hamlet 7 said that both she and her husband lack work. She and her husband (Mr. Vo Manh Thanh, born in 1970) often join groups of construction workers and laborers working on construction projects. The work is hard and tiring, but they still have to do it. Recently, there has been less work for construction workers and laborers, so she and her husband have a lot of free time and spend their days drinking green tea and chatting.

Many workers from Nghi Loc come to Vinh City to look for jobs.
(Photo taken on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street) - Photo: Pham Ngan

We followed Mr. Tran Dinh Phuoc to Hamlet 8, where the largest area of ​​agricultural land in Nghi Xa commune has been reclaimed (Hamlet 8 previously had a total agricultural land area of ​​50 hectares, of which 32 hectares have been reclaimed). Although it is a purely agricultural hamlet, only 87 out of 175 households still have farmland. The hamlet head said that some farmers in Hamlet 8 had participated in vocational training courses on mushroom cultivation and rattan weaving organized by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and Nghi Loc Vocational School, and had experimented with mushroom cultivation and rattan weaving models. However, their skills were weak, resulting in low product quality and a lack of market demand, so these trades could not be introduced to Nghi Xa.

Undeniably, Party committees, government agencies, and relevant departments have made efforts in managing, training, and creating job opportunities for workers. However, reality shows that many implemented solutions lack feasibility.

The labor force in Nghi Xa is largely characterized by several shortcomings: The current surplus workforce is primarily composed of individuals aged 35-40 and above, exhibiting a reluctance to face challenges and adapt to work environments requiring training or apprenticeship, especially those utilizing modern science and technology. Furthermore, there is a reluctance to leave their hometowns or travel far for work. Therefore, Nghi Xa needs to promote and encourage this surplus workforce to change their mindset of "only enduring hardship, not hard work," and to access employment opportunities before the province and district implement practical support policies. Labor is a resource, and labor power is a special commodity that needs to be valued and promoted. The fact that 69.3% of people of working age are unemployed or have lost their jobs indicates a significant waste of resources in Nghi Xa.

Duc Duong