Hanoi, 08/11/2021. Today, ManpowerGroup Vietnam convened with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) to host the hybrid workshop “Labor Market Trends in The Digital Age”. The event was aimed at discussing major labor market trends under the impact of the digital age and the COVID-19, including digital skills for workers and some employment issues in the gig economy in Vietnam. The participants also listened to the valuable sharing on ensuring social security for employees in the new normal.
H. E Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoan, Vice Minister of MOLISA, delivered the opening speech mentioning the impact of the digital transformation, which is accelerated by the global health crisis, on the national labor and employment. “Employment security and skills development for workers amid the digital transformation are among the important goals for every country. The increasing application of digital technology, smart devices, robotics, etc. in production and business activities is posing challenges to the Vietnam low-skilled labor market. An abundant low-cost workforce will no longer be a competitive advantage attracting foreign investment. Given this context, comprehensive solutions will be required to improve the quality of recruitment and training of human resources for a future-proof workforce.”
Also at the opening session, Mr. Andree Mangels, General Manager of ManpowerGroup Vietnam shared: “Technology is constantly evolving and so will the digital skills for workers. Employers need to adopt an agile approach to employee skilling and create long-term learning strategies that equip their workforce to do jobs that exist now and those that will be created in the future.”
Under the dual impacts of the digital age and COVID-19 pandemic, the future of work for Vietnam will witness significant evolution in terms of workers and the workplace. “Major trends like the growing importance of contingent workers, companies’ effort to rebuild employee capabilities via skill development programs, and the rising of hybrid work model in the new normal will take place in the coming time”, said Mr. Nguyen Xuan Son, Country Operations Manager, Staffing & Outsourcing services, ManpowerGroup Vietnam.
Given the acceleration of digital transformation, many jobs will disappear, while new roles will be created. Meanwhile, with only 11.6% of highly skilled workers, Vietnamese workforce is considered less competitive than some regional markets like Thailand, Philippines or Malaysia in terms of skills. It is estimated by the World Bank that if Vietnam’s pool of skilled workers fall short of what is required by a rapid digital transformation, the economy could lose as many as two million jobs by 2045.
Sharing at the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, representative of World Bank on employment presented about digital skills in Vietnam. Accordingly, digital skills are the range of skills, abilities, knowledge, and work habits that allow people to access and use digital technologies. This is an important requirement for workers in the context of constantly changing work patterns and nature. According to statistics in Vietnam, 68% of current jobs require digital literacy with basic digital skills, while one fifth of jobs need particularly intensive digital skills. Besides, the use of digital skills at different levels in Vietnam is also different from other countries in the region and the world.
Notably, some employment issues in the gig economy in Vietnam were discussed by Ms. Le Thu Huyen on behalf of the research team of the Institute of Labor, Science and Social Affairs (ILSSA) - under MOLISA. Studying the examples of jobs that use digital platforms to connect freelancers with customers to provide short-term services like app-based drivers or house helpers, ILSSA suggested solutions to effectively manage and ensure social security for gig workers in Vietnam. It’s crucial that the Government, employers and other relevant stakeholders take necessary actions to improve employment security for Vietnamese workers.
Mr. André Gama, Social Protection Program Manager, ILO Vietnam, brought to the event international experience on ensuring social security for employees in the new normal. With some similarities in labor and social-economic context, Mr. Gama shared valuable learnings for the policy makers and employers in Vietnam.
Mr. Mohammad Kashif - Head of Marketing & Client Solutions, ManpowerGroup Malaysia shared the country's practice in order to improve the legal system and ensure the social social security of employees, including gig workers. He emphasized: “Ensuring adequate social security for workers of all groups is increasingly pursued by the Malaysian government, which is reflected in the amendments of the employment act which are due to be implemented in Jan 2023."
About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions – creates substantial value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity - as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability. In 2021, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the twelfth year - all confirming our position as the brand of choice for businesses, partners, and in-demand talent.
About ManpowerGroup Vietnam
ManpowerGroup is the leading global staffing company in Vietnam, operating in the country since 2008. We are the first 100% foreign invested company licensed to provide recruitment, staffing and outsourcing services by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs since 2008.
Manpower is part of ManpowerGroup – the world’s leading workforce expert. Every day, all around the world, hundreds of thousands of people go to work because of Manpower; and hundreds of thousands of companies thrive because of people we find for them.
With offices in over 75 countries and more than 70 years of history, Manpower is the global leader in contingent and permanent staffing, providing organizations of all sizes with a continuum of staffing solutions to enhance business agility and competitiveness.
With our thorough understanding of staffing trends and our deep pool of highly qualified candidates, Manpower can deliver the talent, matching the right individual to the right job – faster and with better business results.
Nguyen Dinh Hoang Yen – Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager –
yen.nguyenhoang@manpower.com.vn - +84 28 3911 0950 (ext. 125)