Vietnamese media reported that the textile and clothing industry employs about 2 million employees, accounting for 25% of the entire processing manufacturing industry. The leather industry has more than 1.4 million people, accounting for more than 18%. In recent years, both industries have faced labor shortages, which have been exacerbated by the epidemic.
According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Manpower Demand and Labor Market Information Forecasting Center, the textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industry will use 39 from 2022 to 2026 From 10,000 to 437,000 workers. On average, it needs 200,000 to 22,000 new employees each year, but in recent years it has been able to hire just over 1,000 employees each year.
The Vietnam Textile and Garment Union stated that its member manufacturers have received many orders so far, but do not have enough employees. They lose an average of 10% of their employees every year and recruit young employees at the same time. face difficulties. At present, the average age of many textile and garment factory workers in Ho Chi Minh City is 41 to 42 years old. Because of the above age, it is difficult to apply for new jobs, or they can only continue to work to wait for retirement benefits.
One of the reasons for the labor shortage in the TCLF industry is the lack of colleges or universities to train personnel in this field. The above-mentioned industries will no longer be overly dependent on cheap labor as in the past, but resource and labor shortages will force the TCLF industry to invest in high value-added products such as textile products, clothing materials and designs.
