Many orders, few workers, companies complain

By Dat Nguyen October 25, 2021 | 02:20 am PT

Tan Tao Industrial Park in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Companies in the sectors of electronics and furniture are struggling to recruit enough workers to fulfill the rising number of orders.

"There are many orders, but few workers," Do Thuy Huong, representative of Vietnam Electronic Industries Association, told a recent forum.

Company leaders are worried because it is difficult to find temporary workers in the industry as it requires lots of training, she added.

Electronics manufacturing firms are also facing difficulties in accessing government support to retrain workers, as this package currently applies only to vocational training facilities and not companies, she said.

With around 1.3 million migrant workers having returned to their hometowns between July and September, and tens of thousands who did so earlier this month, many companies in the south are struggling to find workers as they resume production after months of restrictions.

Data from recruitment company Adecco shows demand for recruitment in the third quarter surged by 30 percent year-on-year.

Energy and manufacturing companies lead in demand for senior-level employees like project managers, quality managers and senior supply chain operators, it said.

The same issue is being reported by the wood and furniture industry, where business owners are happy with the large number of orders but worried because of a labor shortage, said Nguyen Chanh Phuong, deputy chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA).

Chairman of the Association of Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Do Xuan Lap said there are many workers who are looking to return to their previous company after leaving for their hometown because of the fourth Covid-19 wave.

The government should increase vaccination speed and establish safe work zones and route to boost manufacturing recovery, he said.

"Businesses should be able to choose their own work model suitable to their needs and the Covid-19 situation of the locality."

Tran Viet Anh, deputy chairman of the HCMC Union of Business Association, said the government and businesses should join hands in providing support for their workers in housing and schooling for their children.