Many garment factories in Nghe An are recruiting workers en masse.

The garment export production line of Havina Kim Lien Co., Ltd. - Nam Dan. Photo: Thu Huyen

Nghe An currently has 15 garment export businesses, providing stable jobs and income for nearly 20,000 workers, mainly rural women.

With its potential in terms of market and available human resources, favorable port and transportation infrastructure, and attractive investment policies, Nghe An's textile and garment industry has developed quite strongly in recent years. The province has attracted many reputable domestic and foreign investors such as Hanosimex, Vinatex, Venture (Netherlands), Hyujin Group, KIDO (Korea)... with large-scale garment production lines for export such as: Havina Kim Lien Co., Ltd. (Nam Dan) with 2,600 workers; Prex Vinh Garment Factory (Do Luong) with 5,000 workers, Hanosimex Corporation Branch (Nam Dan) with 1,500 workers...

The Lunar New Year holiday is a time of significant job turnover for garment workers. To ensure sufficient labor for production, especially to address shortages after the holiday, many factories are announcing job openings. Companies such as the Hanoi branch of Hanosimex Textile and Garment Corporation, Havina Kim Lien Co., Ltd. (Nam Giang Industrial Park - Nam Dan); and Prex Vinh Co., Ltd. (Lac Son Industrial Cluster - Do Luong) are each announcing the recruitment of 400-500 workers.

Tet (Lunar New Year) is a turbulent time for garment workers. In the photo: Production at the Hanosimex garment factory in Nam Giang Industrial Park, Nam Dan. Photo: Thu Huyen.

Mr. Tran Duc Long, Chief Accountant of Prex Vinh Co., Ltd., said: "The company currently has about 5,000 employees, and every year after Tet (Lunar New Year), about 300-400 employees quit. Therefore, to compensate for the labor shortage and ensure the production line runs smoothly, the company has had to post recruitment notices throughout the year."

“With an average salary of 3.5 million VND per person per month in rural areas, it's possible to live comfortably, so recruiting workers isn't too difficult. However, the most challenging part is retraining. Many trained workers become familiar with the job and then quit, requiring new recruits to be trained, which is time-consuming and costly, and the work efficiency isn't high. That's the current problem for most garment businesses,” Mr. Long shared.

Currently, several factories are under construction and are expected to be operational by the end of 2018, such as the Minh Anh garment factory in Quang Son commune (Do Luong district) with a capacity of 60 million products per year, expected to attract about 5,000 workers... Thus, the competition for labor among garment businesses is very intense.

Mr. Yoon Ki Boom, Administrative Director of Havina Kim Lien Co., Ltd., expressed his concern: "We invested in the Nam Giang Industrial Park, Nam Dan district in 2012 and currently have 2,600 employees. To expand our production facility to meet orders, the company is recruiting an additional 400-500 workers, but it's not easy because many factories are springing up and continuing to invest in Nghe An, making the labor market very difficult."

"Low supply - high demand," understood in both quantity and quality, is currently a major headache for garment industry businesses. Therefore, in addition to the involvement of relevant government agencies, businesses need a longer-term strategy in labor training and recruitment, as well as in providing wages and other social benefits to ensure a stable life for workers.