Exhausted in the city, workers consider "retreating"

Pressure mounts

Returning to her hot rented house after working overtime, Ms. Dang Thi Cam Huong (42 years old, living in Binh Tan district, Ho Chi Minh City) sat down on the tile floor and exhaled.

Workers consider leaving the city and returning to the countryside when they can no longer bear the pressure of work and the high cost of living (Photo: Nguyen Vy).

Working as a factory worker in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 10 years, Ms. Huong found her health affected quite a bit. Her husband used to be a worker in the same factory as her. Recently, due to the hard work, too much pressure on production targets, and struggling to keep up with the line, he decided to quit his job to become a technology motorbike taxi driver.

Before, the couple had a common dream of moving to the city to change their lives. But after all these years of working hard, they still did not have much money while life and work in the city were much more stressful. So, sometimes the couple would put their hands on their foreheads, thinking about the whole family leaving the city and returning to the countryside.

Working at the factory, Ms. Huong was always nervous and afraid, especially when the company announced a new round of layoffs. Despite working hard, the monthly income of both husband and wife was only enough to send half back home, the other half was just enough for food and rent.

Ms. Huong thinks that if she goes back to her hometown to work, she can still manage. The money may not be as good, but she won't have to endure as much pressure as in the city. Moreover, she sees that her hometown is developing more and more, and finding a job is not too difficult.

"In an expensive city, I don't know when I'll be able to buy a house. I miss my parents so much when I'm away from home. I'd rather go home and live near them, eat whatever they have, and not feel pressured. Up here, my husband and I work very hard, earning more than 10 million VND a month, and then it's gone," said Ms. Huong.

According to Ms. Huong, although she doesn't earn much money in the countryside, she still has enough to spend and isn't as stressed as in the city (Photo: Nguyen Vy).

Huynh Thi Nui and her husband (from Tra Vinh), workers in Ho Chi Minh City, also thought about returning to their hometown when their child graduates. Although they have worked in the city for more than 17 years, they still leave their child in the countryside for their grandparents to take care of.

"Research on the impact of Covid-19 on the employment of domestic migrant workers and the role of stakeholders" by the Institute for Social Life Research shows that 15.5% of domestic migrant workers surveyed currently working in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Binh Duong intend to return to their hometown to work long-term.

Because tuition and living costs in the countryside are cheaper, the couple can earn enough money to send home and take care of their child. She also plans to send her child to university in Tra Vinh, then let him work in his hometown, so that he does not have to endure the hustle and bustle of the city like his parents.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, most married workers often leave their children with their grandparents and choose to work far away in the hope of earning a higher income to send home.

When the above target is not met and working conditions in rural areas are getting better, workers tend to return to their hometowns to work and reunite with their families.

"Going home is just a matter of time"

Ms. Bich Tuyen (35 years old, living in Binh Tan district), has been a worker in Ho Chi Minh City for more than ten years. She shared that many workers who live in the same building as her are also thinking about returning to their hometowns and are no longer interested in the city.

Many workers withdraw insurance to get capital to return to their hometown to do business (Photo: Nguyen Vy).

In addition to the pressure of work and accommodation, Ms. Tuyen confided that part of the reason is because of the regulation that employees are not allowed to retain unemployment insurance. Accordingly, employees who have paid unemployment insurance for more than 114 months (12 years), when they quit their job, will only receive unemployment benefits for 12 years, the remaining contributions will not be retained.

"In fact, many people have chosen to quit their jobs to receive unemployment insurance, then social insurance, earn some capital and then return to their hometown to start a business, which is more comfortable than just working as a worker here," said Ms. Tuyen.

Mr. Nguyen Trieu Luat (40 years old, from Vinh Long) confided that returning home is only a matter of time for workers like him and his wife.

The boarding house used to be full of workers, but now some rooms are empty because the workers have returned to their hometowns (Photo: Nguyen Vy).

"Some workers came here for decades, saving enough money to buy a house many years ago. At that time, houses were still cheap, they could buy them and then plan to send their children to school and work in the city. But now houses and land prices are so high, we workers can't buy one even if we work our whole lives, how can we dare to plan to live here long-term," Mr. Luat confided.

Although his income is not enough to buy a townhouse, Luat and his wife still have enough money to buy a piece of land in the countryside. They are just waiting for their child to finish school, then the whole family will return to the countryside to live.

"In the countryside, we have land and can work to make a living. By then, our children will be grown up, so we will be less worried," said Mr. Luat.

Thinking long term, many workers shared that they will not live in the city but will return to their hometown to start a business (Illustration: Nguyen Vy).

According to Ho Chi Minh City’s demographic forecast, in the medium and long term, the city’s population growth is likely to slow down. With a low birth rate of women (about 1.2%), the working-age population will stagnate in the long term.

At the same time, the population migration flow in Ho Chi Minh City may slow down because satellite localities are developing very strongly. This contributes to the number of migrant workers entering Ho Chi Minh City tending to decrease in the future.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, migrant workers in the past only had one choice, Ho Chi Minh City, but now there are many destinations to choose from. This is a big challenge for developing a supply source to meet the city's human resource needs.

The city forecasts that in the period 2024-2030, the growth rate of labor demand will be faster than supply, especially from 2027 onwards. This could create a labor shortage, causing competitive pressure among companies.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/kiet-suc-giua-thanh-pho-cong-nhan-tinh-chuyen-lui-quan-20240612130712920.htm