Development of High-quality Human Resources

Ho Chi Minh City has the largest human resource base in Vietnam with some 4.7 million people of working age and some 3.2 million employed. Its workforce of high scientific-technology standards makes up 30 percent of the national force. Trained workforce increased from 40 percent in 2005 to 55 percent in 2010. Remarkable success has been recorded in implementing the human resources development programme 2006-2010 set forth by the VIII City Congress. Over 138,000 managers and staff members have been trained at home, and nearly 2,500 trained abroad.

 

In spite of those advantages, the city is still short of high-quality workforce to meet the demand of socio-economic development. In the years to come, the shortage will be even more serious if the city fails to find some solutions to combine recruiting with training.

 

In the past, though the workforce shortage was eminent, the shortage of high-quality workers has never been as serious as in recent years. Only 50 percent of the workforce has been trained. Workforce of secondary, high and university standards remains small and unqualified to meet the demand. This is most clear in such fields as management, information technology, accounting, administration and finance-banking.

 

The shortage is even more serious in the suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City. According to statistics of the Department of Interior of Ho Chi Minh City, five districts: Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Can Gio, Binh Chanh and Nha Be, lack high-quality workforce in several areas, especially education and health. The shortage has caused adverse impacts on the city’s business activities and investment environment.

 

There are several causes for the shortage; most important is the late reform of city planning, maintaining obsolete technology and workforce with low added value. Furthermore, due to inadequate policy, the brain drain continues. Skilled workers seek jobs in foreign companies, students who graduate abroad stay in foreign countries for higher pay. More serious still, training at home does not match the demand. Training centres fail to coordinate with the demand of employers. The gap remains between training centres and businesses. Businesses themselves have neither long-term strategy nor planning for human resources, nor active participation in workforce training.

 

To meet the demand of industrialization-modernization and international integration, HCMC will concentrate investments in the most important sectors to make a breakthrough in human resources and socio-economic development. In 2010-2015, priority will be for human resources development with high technology and added value. The workforce of secondary training must reach the target of half a million by 2020 to meet the demand. Trained workforce must make up 70 percent in 2015 and 80 percent in 2020, with 100 percent in four main industries and nine services.

 

Mr Nguyen Thanh Tai, Standing Vice-Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee, said that to attain those objectives, the city will have preferential policies to attract talents, ensuring favourable conditions and environment for workers to develop their ability. The policy will be a long-term one with specific road map so that the workforce is fully attached and devoted to the city. An important measure in skilled workforce training is to increase cooperation between universities, high schools, training centres and the city’s business community to improve coordination between training and employment. To improve such cooperation, the city will organize training fairs to bring businesses and schools together and design training programmes meeting the demand.

 

For his part, Mr Tran Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of HCMC Centre for Workforce Forecast and Labour Market, believed that to overcome the shortage and develop high-quality workforce, the city must continue the economic restructuring programme combined with suitable human resources development. The training must ensure output qualifications to meet the demand of the society and each industry. Linkage and cooperation must be increased between enrolment, training and recruitment. Also, in sustainable development strategy and high-quality human resources development, the city must accelerate education reform at district and grass-root levels, especially in content and training methods.

 

Because of this, the IX City Party Congress has put forth high-quality human resources development as one of the six breakthrough programmes to bring the city to a new height, as the driving force of the Southern key economic region as well as of the whole nation.