Vietnam’s shoe industry lacks labor

According to Vietnam’s “Investment News”, there are currently about 450 shoemaking companies in Vietnam, including 16 state-owned enterprises, 214 non-state-owned enterprises, 200 wholly foreign-owned enterprises, and more than 20 foreign joint ventures. The wages of employees in this industry are generally low, with a monthly salary of 1-1.5 million VND (approximately US$60-80) in the northern region and 3-4 million VND (approximately US$180-240) in the south. Due to low wages, about 30% of employees in the industry have changed careers, and all companies are facing labor shortages.