Unemployed workers are indifferent to vocational training support.

(Baonghean) - Vocational training support is part of the unemployment insurance policy aimed at providing unemployed workers with opportunities to change careers. However, this policy has not yet attracted the attention of unemployed workers.

Not yet attracting workers.

At this time of year, the Unemployment Insurance Office of the Employment Service Center - Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is usually crowded with workers registering for unemployment benefits. Besides guiding them through the necessary procedures, the office staff also inquire about their needs and advise them on vocational training. However, it seems that most workers who come here are not very interested in this issue.

Unemployed workers register for unemployment benefits at the Unemployment Insurance Office - Provincial Employment Service Center.

For example, Ms. Le Thi Giang (born in 1992) from Vien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) previously worked at a garment company in Binh Duong for over 3 years; this year, due to company layoffs, she had to leave her job at the beginning of May 2016. Ms. Giang shared: “I have paid unemployment insurance contributions for 3 years, so I only want to use the allowance to cover my daily living expenses. In the future, I plan to return to my hometown to open a grocery store or go to Taiwan for work, so I feel that vocational training is unnecessary. Moreover, the current maximum vocational training support of 1 million VND/person/month is too low compared to the high costs of food and transportation.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Van Thanh (born in 1986) from Hung Trung commune (Hung Nguyen district) said: "I have worked for three companies in the South, and when I was first hired, I had to go through a short-term training course provided by the company before I could work. Therefore, I find vocational training impractical and unnecessary."

Ms. Lam Thi Que, Head of the Unemployment Insurance Department at the Provincial Employment Service Center, stated: Besides unemployment benefits, the goal of the unemployment insurance policy is to help workers reintegrate into the labor market as soon as possible by providing job placement assistance and vocational training support. Therefore, along with paying unemployment benefits, the policy of supporting vocational training for those receiving unemployment benefits has been implemented since 2013 with many adjustments to increase the support level.

Job seekers at the provincial employment service center.

However, most unemployed workers in Nghe An are not enthusiastic about this support. Specifically, in 2015, 9,204 people were granted unemployment benefits, but only 13 decided to receive vocational training support. In the first five months of 2016, the entire province had 4,613 people granted unemployment benefits, and only 13 cases received vocational training support.

Policies need to be more grounded in reality.

Regarding the issue of vocational training support for unemployed workers, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, Deputy Director of the Provincial Employment Service Center, stated: “In reality, the characteristics of workers applying for unemployment benefits in our province are mainly those who have worked in southern provinces and cities, primarily in electronics and garment manufacturing… Upon returning to their hometowns, it is difficult to find jobs in these fields because the demand is low and garment companies in our province often train their own workforce. On the other hand, workers are very reluctant to change professions in the context of the general employment situation in our province where demand always exceeds supply.”

Learn automotive repair at Bac Quynh Luu Vocational College.

In addition, for some professions with high training costs such as driving, mechanics, accounting, etc., this level of support is still quite low.Furthermore, with basic vocational training courses, individuals lack the necessary skills to improve their work performance. To enhance their skills, workers must incur additional costs to attend intermediate or advanced vocational courses. However, the vast majority of those registering for unemployment benefits at the center are unskilled laborers (over 90%), already struggling financially. When they lose their jobs, unemployment benefits only partially cover their living expenses, leaving them with no means to reinvest in improving their skills. Therefore, the general mindset of the unemployed is to spend their time earning a living through other informal jobs to sustain themselves before finding new employment.”

Mr. Tuan also affirmed: "Supporting unemployed workers in vocational training is a necessary policy to help them return to the labor market sooner. However, to make the policy more practical and effective, it is necessary to increase the level of support for vocational training in some basic occupations with high training costs to reduce the burden on workers. On the other hand, relevant agencies also need to have accurate and best labor market demand forecasts to guide and adviseSuitable trades make it easy for them to find jobs after training.

In the coming period, the Employment Service CenterWe will continue to strengthen counseling and dissemination of information to help workers understand and grasp the vocational training support policy for unemployed workers through direct counseling at the center and mobile outreach campaigns in many areas throughout the province; open more soft skills training classes for workers, helping them equip themselves with the necessary skills when applying for jobs and working in new environments. In the long term, the most important thing is still balancing the labor supply and demand in our province, because with an unattractive labor market and underdeveloped targeted training, persuading workers in general and unemployed workers in particular to learn a trade is always extremely difficult.”

Minh Quan