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The Hanoitimes – A no-rise in minimum wage would create conditions for enterprises to recover and workers keeping their jobs, stated the labor ministry.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has rejected two proposals from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor for a rise in the region-based minimum wage in 2021.

The information was unveiled in a MoLISA’s document seeking opinions from government agencies and business associations. A report would later be submitted to the government before March 10 related to the issue.

Workers at Garment 10 Company. Photo: Thanh Hai

In addition to keeping the region-based minimum wage unchanged for this year, the MoLISA said the timing for effective wage rise should not be moved from January 1 to July 1, citing international practices that the period for wage adjustment needs to coincide with the start of a fiscal year (starting from January 1 to December 31 in case of Vietnam) for enterprises to set up their business plan.

“This is also the time for workers to negotiate wage policies with their employers, so moving the date to July 1 would be inconvenient for all parties involved,” stated the MoLISA.

The National Salary Council previously said it would not consider a rise in the region-based minimum wage in 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam’s region-based minimum wage.

According to the MoLISA, a wage rise at a time of severe Covid-19 impacts would affect workers’ job security, not yet mentioning the majority of enterprises are still struggling to keep business running.

With nearly 101,700 enterprises temporarily suspending operations in 2020, or nearly 8,500 enterprises leaving the market every month, an increase of nearly 14% year-on-year, “it would take a longer period for business and production activities to return to their pre-Covid-19 level,” stated the ministry.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate also surged to a decade-high of 2.48% last year, it noted, adding the average income per month stood at VND6.62 million (US$287.21), down VND75,000 (US$3.25) against last year, despite higher region-based minimum wage of over 5% compared to 2019.

“This implies a rise in minimum wage would not lead to higher income for workers,” added the MoLISA.

The MoLISA stated the current minimum wage is sufficient to meet the minimum living standards for locals, while uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 situation around the world make it hard to predict the exact level of economic impacts to the country from now until the end of 2021.

“Therefore, a no-rise in minimum wage would create conditions for enterprises to recover and workers to keep their jobs,” it said.

The region-based minimum wage is applicable for non-state employees, while a four salary- regions reflect the difference in economic development of the urban and rural areas.

Master plans built to promote the efficient use of marine space , resources. – Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment hosted an online conference on March 4 discussing the building of a national marine space plan and a master plan on the exploitation and sustainable use of coastal resources in 2021-2030 and vision to 2045.

According to General Director of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands (VASI) Ta Dinh Thi, the multidisciplinary plans are being developed under an integrated and ecosystem-based approach, serving the orientation and establishment of plans for using marine space and resolving inadequacies in marine use, thereby balancing economic development, national defence and security, and marine ecosystem protection.

The master plan s are prepared on the basis of integrating national master plans relating to the sea, with adjustments made to address conflicting and overlapping issues in the maritime space. They cover coastal areas, islands, archipelagos, territorial waters, and airspace under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.

The national marine space plan aims to ensure the efficient exploitation and sustainable use of marine resources and islands on the basis of a harmonious combination of socio-economic development and environmental protection, defence and security, and foreign affairs and international cooperation in coastal areas, islands, archipelagos, territorial waters, and airspace under Vietnam’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the master plan on the exploitation and sustainable use of coastal resources in 2021-2030 with a vision to 2045 covers coastal waters to an outer boundary of about 6 nautical miles from the coast and the coastal areas of communes, wards, and towns in 28 coastal provinces and centrally-run cities. However, to ensure the integrity of important ecosystems and habitats, and to pay due attention to strong interaction between the mainland and seas, the reach of the coastal space in some areas may be extended further towards both the mainland and the sea.

This plan aims at the overall goal of managing, exploiting, and efficiently using natural resources , serving sustainable socio-economic development, climate change adaptation, and the safeguarding of national defence and security along the coast.

Addressing the conference, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Minh Ngan spoke highly of VASI’s efforts in preparing these master plans.

The plans cover a number of new issues to be mentioned for the first time, he stressed, and so require the coordination of relevant ministries, sectors, and localities.

He also emphasised the importance of selecting consultation units and consulting ministries, sectors, localities, and experts and scientists on these plans./.

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam rushes to prepare manpower in a goal of training 2 million people at vocational schools.

Textile workers. Illustrative photo

The Vietnamese government has a goal of training 2 million people in vocational schools to meet the growing demand for technical skills among multinational companies, according to CNBC.

More than 90% of students trained in technical skills, such as welding or making electronics, can get hired, Professor Nguyen Quang Huy told CNBC, adding that it’s very easy to get a job, and a lot of companies need more people.

The country’s middle class is growing to reach around 44 million by 2020, and the figure will be more than doubled by 2030.

In addition, more than a million people are added to the workforce annually, giving the country a “golden population structure”, according to Singapore-based private holding company Kusto Group.

Engineers. Illustrative photo

Meanwhile, beneficial firms in Vietnam, mostly apparel and shoe makers, are starting to grow to meet higher requirements.

Textile firm TNG Investment & Trading told CNBC that it’s never seen an expansion like this before. Last year, the firm hired 3,000 employees, bringing its total to 15,000.

The expansion has required TNG to build an apartment complex to accommodate the additional employees. The company needs to build a home for the people than actually building a factory to retain high-skilled workers for long strategies, according to TNG’s Linh Nguyen.

The aforementioned moves are part of preparations for the upcoming demand. In fact, multinational companies are starting to question whether it’s time to shift production out of China due to the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing.

Many firms are already making the move to other countries, with Vietnam as one of the main destination for relocation due to tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Some of them, such as Brooks Running, which is part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, are not waiting to see if the additional China tariffs will go into effect.

CNBC reported that CEO Jim Weber said back in May that Brooks would be predominantly in Vietnam by the end of the year. He also said about 8,000 jobs will move there from China.

However, Vietnam still lacks much of the infrastructure to accommodate the expected influx.

The country needs to raise capacity of terminals, mostly ports and improve logistics sector. Vietnam is building a deep-water port that can make transfers easier, but that won’t open for another three years.