'In some places, 80% of female workers over 35 years old are forced to quit their jobs'

The Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs pointed out the reality that in some places, 80% of women over 35 years old working in industrial zones are forced to quit their jobs or quit their jobs.

The National Assembly Standing Committee held a meeting to discuss the Government's report on the implementation of national gender equality goals.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the quality of employment for female workers is still unstable and unsustainable. Female workers are concentrated in fields with low professional qualifications, or jobs with low sustainability and stability.

The average monthly salary of female workers is also lower than that of male workers. Minister Dao Ngoc Dung pointed out that the situation of laying off workers over the age of 35, mostly female workers, is an alarming issue.

The average monthly salary of female workers is also lower than that of male workers.

Minister Dung also cited survey results in a number of businesses, showing that in some places up to 80% of women over 35 years old working in industrial zones are forced to quit their jobs or quit their jobs.

The main reasons given by businesses are restructuring production, or quitting due to not being able to withstand harsh working conditions.

Leaders of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said that the Government is directing relevant agencies to research and consider solutions and interventions to protect the rights of workers, especially female workers.

Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee Le Thi Nga also said that through a survey, the lives of female workers in industrial zones are mostly very difficult.

"There is also information that the majority of female workers in industrial zones are fired by their companies after the age of 35 and are not allowed or unable to continue working," Ms. Nga stated the reality.

Unemployment rate in 2016 by gender.

According to Ms. Nga, women at the age of 35 are the pillars of the family, raising children, so changing jobs will be very difficult. In the near future, the National Assembly agencies will conduct specific inspections and surveys on this issue.

Head of the National Assembly Standing Committee's Petition Committee Nguyen Thanh Hai said that businesses are "squeezing the lemon and throwing away the peel".

The reason is that some businesses only like to use young female workers to take advantage of their labor and cheap prices. When female workers get older, they fire them and recruit new female workers.

Ms. Hai also cited the figure of 1.2 million unemployed workers in 2016, over 80% of whom were women. This means that about 960,000 women lost their jobs while they were the breadwinners of their families.

According to Ms. Hai, the reason is that the Labor Code does not clearly and specifically regulate the employment of female workers over 35 years old. Therefore, there is a very large FDI enterprise in the North that produces motorbikes and replaces up to 40% of its employees in a year. They keep recruiting young people and then continuously firing and recruiting new ones without the state management agency being able to intervene or handle the situation.

Hearing the above opinions, Vice President of the National Assembly Tong Thi Phong shared that she was also very “concerned” about the lives of female workers. She suggested that the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs review and reconsider this issue.

According to Zing