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Firms fear workers won’t come back
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VietNamNet Bridge - Many companies in HCM City, fearing their workers will not return after Tet, have taken to pampering them with bonus offers, buses to take them to their hometowns and back for the holiday, and other freebies.

District labour offices have said enterprises, especially in the footwear, garment and textile, processing and services industries, are likely to face labour shortages after the Lunar New Year.

It has become common in recent years for workers to collect their year-end bonuses and switch jobs after the holiday since wages and other incentives are rarely enough for them to remain loyal.

Nguyen Tan Loc, head of the An Suong Bus Station near Tan Binh Industrial Park, said many workers have booked one-way tickets to their hometowns this year, unlike in the past.

Our attrition rate after the New Year was 5 per cent last year, said Nguyen Huu Tuan, head of personnel at the Thanh Cong Textile Garment Company.

This year the company has made efforts to minimise this problem. On the first day of the new year, February 19, the company will pay a bonus of VND200,000 to any worker who returns to work, followed by a bonus of half a month’s salary at the beginning of April, Tuan said.

Gifts were also given to 40 workers who did not plan to return to their hometown for Tet, he said.

In addition to retaining its current workforce, the company also intends to hire a further 700 new workers to keep up with after-holiday orders.

Phu Nhuan Gold, Silver and Gemstones Company plans to present gifts to poor workers and those who will stay in the city instead of visiting their hometowns.

To maintain a consistent workforce, some companies have developed policies to take care of their workers’ welfare on a more regular basis.

Ngoc Phuoc Sewing and Printing Joint Stock Company has built housing and provides one free meal a day for all its workers, and three for those with disabilities.

It has also scheduled a number of entertainment activities for workers during Tet and other festivals, in addition to a bonus.

The company chairman, Vo An Phuoc, claimed workers are treated like relatives and well taken care of. This care helped the company retain its workers even when it faced severe difficulties and could not pay their wages for a while, he said.

Le Xuan Thanh, deputy head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Labour and Salary Department, said offering incentives is the best way to resolve the looming labour shortage after Tet.

Recruitment

Enterprises and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in southern Dong Nai Province are looking into recruitment methods because they expect to lose between 200-400 of their workers after the Tet Holiday.

Deputy director of the province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Lam Duy Tin said that most of the workers who handed in their resignations were highly skilled, which poses difficulties for them to stabilise production after the holiday.

Tin said that his department has encouraged vocational training centres to make public announcements about the upcoming recruitment’s as well as develop preferential treatment policies for people in the locality, especially in rural areas.

He added that a job transaction floor will be re-opened at the beginning of March to support the enterprises in their recruitment efforts.

According to statistics provided by enterprises, more than 50,000 jobs are expected to be available after Tet.

Tin also said that the enterprises themselves should be active in searching for the labourers they need.

Dang Vu Anh, director of the Mabuchi Motor Company, said that 200 skilled labourers quit their jobs at his firm, which would force changes to the company’s production line.

"Finding new labour is not easy at this time, not to mention the time it will take to train the new workers," he said.

A representative of the Taekwang Vina Company said that the company asked for support from the province to find new labourers and also plans to use incentives to attract new workers, such as giving current workers a VND500,000 ($26) finders fee for introducing a new worker to the company.

Pham Van Cong, an officer at the department’s Labour Policy Unit, said that one of the reasons labourers have quit is because industrial zones can be found in most areas at this time, and people want to work near their home rather than working far away for a small salary.

Cong said that enterprises needed to offer more support mechanisms for their workers, such as accommodation, travel and other allowances to encourage them to say on, thus stabilising company production.

VietNamNet/VNS