Returning workers hope for a peaceful Tet

NOT STABLE YET

In the last days of 2021, in Mon hamlet, Nghia Lac commune, Nghia Dan district, the atmosphere is gloomy even though the hamlet has more residents than in previous years. This crowding is due to the journey back home after the Covid-19 outbreak and that journey is also the reason for the gloomy atmosphere these days. The severe economic impact of the pandemic makes everyone and every household sad when mentioning Tet. Mr. Lo Van Bay is no exception.

Repatriated workers attend job consultation and introduction. Photo: Tien Dong

Returning home in October 2021, Mr. Bay decided to stay in his hometown with his newlywed wife to stabilize their lives and take care of his elderly mother instead of making a living abroad. Calm after the stormy journey home, for the past 2 months he has been unemployed and struggling to find recruitment information despite his experience in the field of mechanical engineering and driving. “My area is mainly inhabited by Thai ethnic people, located in remote areas, so it is very limited in terms of travel and access to recruitment information. Although I want to find a job that suits my abilities, I hope that from now until before Tet I can find a temporary job to buy a little for my family.”

As for Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trong in Tru Son commune (Do Luong), he managed to find himself a mechanical job in the Vinh station area in the last months of the year. Sharing about his job plans for next year, Mr. Trong said: "Although the salary is low and it is hard, with this epidemic situation, I just have tohave a jobThat's good, I don't expect anything more. I will do this job temporarily until Tet, then I will consider it next year."

For Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh in Hien Son commune (Do Luong), this year's Tet will certainly be more difficult and tight than previous years. Currently, her family of four is only relying on one source of income from her husband, who is currently driving a motorbike taxi in Saigon to save some money before returning home. She herself has also been exposed to local recruitment information and is actively registering with the hope of being able to work after Tet.

A mobile job fair for repatriated workers in the highlands of Nghe An. Photo: T.D

Besides workers who intend to settle down in their homeland, many have already moved to the South and returned to their old companies. Ms. Pham Thi Nhuan in Nghia Dan district is such a case. After her and her child returned safely from the repatriation journey, she returned to Ho Chi Minh City alone on October 20 with the hope of working a few more months to increase her basic salary before returning to Nghe An. When she returned, the epidemic broke out again and the factory closed. Unemployed, she applied for a seasonal job outside to earn more income and unfortunately became an F0.

Over the phone, she confided: “Although I really want to go home before Tet with my family, I have to wait until after Tet. The red zone is still there and I also need to complete my contract here. This time I will not go anywhere else. My first daughter has grown up without her mother's care, I will not let the same thing happen to my second child.”

According to the workers we had the opportunity to talk to, the percentage of their friends, colleagues, and fellow countrymenstay home to worklower than the number of people returning to their old companies. The reasons are because the income in the old companies is higher, the environment is more professional or because life there is more stable and familiar.

A business's job consulting point located in Tuong Duong. Photo: PV

Another group of workers who have been in a precarious state since the outbreak is the group of workers who want to go abroad to work. Young man Luong Kham Phon (Tuong Duong) is such a case. Although he has prepared all the procedures to go abroad to work in Taiwan, Phon has still had to stay home and wait for many months because of the complicated epidemic situation. "This year, I and many friends in the same situation have decided that there will be no Tet. Unemployment, no income, debt and endless waiting make many people feel extremely discouraged," Phon confided.

MANY SUPPORT SOLUTIONS

Faced with the situation of repatriated and unemployed workers, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district has implemented many activities to support and connect supply and demand. In addition to regular job fairs, the district has been flexible in connecting with reputable businesses inside and outside the area to get closer to the needs of workers. Mr. Tran Van Toan - Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Tuong Duong district said: "We have quickly grasped job information and recruitment needs of businesses in the area to provide to people through many channels. In addition, we pay special attention to choosing reputable and highly reliable businesses to open consulting points scattered throughout the district. This helps workers easily find and receive support".

Union officials of the Cua Lo Town Labor Federation attach a list of businesses that need to recruit workers so that repatriated workers can proactively approach them. Photo: PV

According to Mr. Toan, up to now, about 1,500/5,800 workers returning from provinces and cities have found stable jobs in their locality and neighboring districts. The rest are doing odd jobs at home, waiting for the right time or suitable jobs. Most of these workers have the mindset of officially starting work after Tet and hope to work in businesses that have dormitories or boarding houses for workers from far away. In the coming time, the district will continue to open vocational training classes and coordinate with businesses to open more job consulting points in commune clusters, diversifying occupations so that workers have more choices.

Sharing about the fact that many young workers in Tuong Duong district choose to work abroad instead of working locally, Mr. Ho Van Hoa - Deputy Director of Recruitment of Gia Long Group Corporation said: "The reason is often because the income when working abroad is always higher and the working environment is also more professional. However, the complicated developments of the epidemic and this waiting situation are also the reasons leading to the resurgence of social evils. Many workers are frustrated and give up after a period of waiting." It is known that most of the workers who want to work abroad in the district are in very difficult circumstances and have to borrow money to complete the procedures.

Although the demand for overseas labor is high, job consulting companies are still unable to send people because the epidemic situation is still complicated. Photo: PV

As two districts with a large number of repatriated workers during the recent outbreak, Do Luong and Nghia Dan districts have also implemented many solutions toconnecting supply and demandbetween workers and businesses. “Currently, only more than 800/6,400 workers do not have stable jobs. The recruitment needs of businesses in the area are still very large and we have provided the phone numbers of workers to these units so that they can directly contact and consult,” said Ms. Pham Thi Bich Thuy - Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Do Luong district.

In addition to the above methods, online recruitment interviews and using collaborators to go to hamlets and villages to recruit are also being paid attention to and implemented by localities and businesses with the desire to:best support for workersunemployment after repatriation

Diep Thanh