Many jobs in Nghe An lack seasonal workers at the end of the year.

Finding people

The end of November every year is the beginning of the sugarcane harvest season. At Tan Ky sugarcane granary, the demand for sugarcane cutters increases, however, finding idle labor during this time is not easy.

Mr. Hoang Van Chung's family in Van Long hamlet, Giai Xuan commune (Tan Ky) has 2 hectares of sugarcane, one of the households with the largest sugarcane area in the commune. As soon as the harvest order was issued, Mr. Chung looked for people to cut the sugarcane but could only find about 10 people. With such a large sugarcane area, such a number of workers would make it difficult to ensure progress.

Mr. Chung said: It is very difficult to find laborers now, most of the young workers have gone abroad to work or work far away, no longer in the locality. This work is quite hard, requires health, so it is difficult for older people to do it. Sugarcane growers, when there is a harvest announcement, also have to take care of their family's sugarcane area, do not have extra time to take on seasonal work. Therefore, we have to find more laborers in neighboring communes. However, up to now, there are still not enough people to work on the total area.

It is known that the job of cutting sugarcane for hire is a very "hot" job at the end of the year in Tan Ky district in particular and in the sugarcane raw material areas in general. This job only takes place in the last 2-3 months of the year. Although the job only involves cutting and bundling sugarcane, it requires good health, always wearing long-sleeved clothes and gloves to avoid scratches. Currently, the price for hiring sugarcane cutting is 2,000 VND/bundle, those who work with good productivity can cut 200-300 bundles/day, earning from 400,000-600,000 VND/day. Although the salary is quite high, it is still difficult to find people.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son - Chairman of Giai Xuan Commune People's Committee said: The locality is the commune with the largest sugarcane area in Tan Ky district with 830 hectares, annual output of about 60,000 tons, therefore, in each harvest season, the demand for sugarcane cutters from the people is very high. Households with large areas have to go to neighboring communes to hire sugarcane cutters. This job requires good health and the ability to endure hardships, so not everyone can do it. If we hire older people, we cannot ensure the progress of importing to the factory.

At this time, the incense production villages in the province are also entering the peak season to serve Tet, the shortage of incense workers, especially skilled workers, is also making it difficult for production owners to cope.

Ms. Tran Thi Loan, owner of an incense production facility in Tan Lac town, Quy Chau district, said: My facility produces more than 7 million incense sticks each year, so during Tet, we always need 20-30 workers to work continuously. However, it is very difficult to find workers now, because there are not many young workers in the area. There are times when a large quantity of goods is needed, so all family members have to work directly to deliver to customers on time, because the number of workers is not enough.

Quy Chau district is considered the capital of incense in Nghe An with 6 recognized incense villages, including block 1, block 2, block 3, Tan Huong block 1, Tan Huong block 2 in Tan Lac town and Hanh Tien village, Chau Hanh commune. Currently, incense production facilities are in the peak period of Tet production; besides the lack of human resources, the high price of input materials is also a difficult problem for workers.

Not only the above jobs, but in reality, many industries also need a large number of seasonal workers, especially during the Tet holiday, such as seafood processing, confectionery, food, delivery, packaging, flower and ornamental plant care, housekeeping services, house cleaning, etc.

Find ways to adapt

According to the Employment Service Center - Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, there are many reasons why recruiting seasonal workers is currently difficult, mainly young workers in localities who have mostly gone to work abroad or work far away. In addition, the general mentality of workers is to have a stable, long-term job and enjoy benefits, so they are not very interested in short-term seasonal work (about 1 - 3 months). In addition, some specific seasonal jobs require specialized and skilled workers, however, this is very difficult for ordinary workers who have not been trained and need an apprenticeship period...

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son - Chairman of the People's Committee of Giai Xuan Commune, Tan Ky District said: Faced with the shortage of sugarcane harvesting laborers, households are now increasingly contacting sugarcane harvesting machines to ensure progress, even though the cost is higher. In addition, households also form groups to exchange labor with each other, households that have not yet received harvest notices will help the previous harvester. Households with large areas are also increasing their search for workers in neighboring communes, especially those with small sugarcane areas.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, owner of a flower and ornamental plant garden on Highway 46, Nghi An Commune, Vinh City, said: The time before Tet is the time when the demand for this product increases, the family is also looking for more workers to help, but finding unskilled workers is difficult, and finding skilled workers to trim and care for plants during this time is even more difficult. To have workers, we have to pay double the usual wages. However, we have only recruited 3 people to help out so far.

Through discussion, Mr. Tran Huu Thuong - Deputy Director of the Employment Service Center - Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said: The labor market at the end of the year is very active, especially in recruiting seasonal workers. Jobs such as delivery, packaging, food industry and service businesses... are in great need of labor.

Faced with the shortage, units and establishments need to increase the application of machinery and science and technology to replace human labor. For jobs that require labor, establishments should increase posting on social networking sites with reasonable income levels and benefits to attract workers, especially focusing on those who are receiving unemployment benefits.

In the long term, in the face of labor shortages, localities need to apply synchronous solutions to encourage and attract workers to stay in their hometowns to work, such as: enhancing vocational training, creating jobs on the spot with stable income sources; replicating effective economic models for farmers with little land for production. At the same time, promoting the role of enterprises in training linkages, promoting credit support programs, loans to create jobs...