Not enough salary to live on and stuck in traffic, workers find ways to leave the city

High salary, low salary workers all... shake their heads

Since the beginning of the year, in addition to recruiting through job exchanges and submitting applications at the company, many businesses in Ho Chi Minh City have had to livestream and send employees to major streets to "attract" workers. However, the more businesses try to persuade, the more workers "avoid".

Mr. Huong, representative of the recruitment department of TD Vietnam Textile Company Limited (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), said that recruiting workers is very difficult. For nearly a month now, the company has been recruiting 200 unskilled workers from 18 to 55 years old, but has only recruited 100 people.

"The company has used all forms of recruitment such as: million-dollar bonuses for new employees, support in finding accommodation near the company, annual salary increases, travel allowances... but still no one applies," Mr. Huong sighed.

tuyen-lao-dong_Xuan-Truong — TD Vietnam Textile and Garment Company Limited sent its recruitment department out on the streets for a whole month to recruit workers (Photo: Xuan Truong).

According to Mr. Huong, the reason why workers "dislike" the job is because the company offers low salaries, mostly from 6 to 10 million VND/month. With salaries that are "not enough to live on", workers choose to work in neighboring provinces such as Dong Nai and Binh Duong to save costs.

"The standard of living in Ho Chi Minh City is quite high, so an income of 6-10 million VND can only help workers support themselves, but hardly support their families. Ho Chi Minh City is increasingly crowded and congested, so they go to neighboring provinces to work to save both costs and time," Mr. Huong added.

Not only TD company, but also Viet Tien Garment Corporation (Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) is having difficulty attracting workers. Since the beginning of the year, the company has needed to recruit 1,000 workers with income from 11 to 30 million VND/month, but each day it can only recruit 20-30 people. The recruitment positions are: sewing, cutting fabric, ironing, packing and checking goods, management...

"Instead of supporting accommodation and travel expenses, the company pays high salaries so that employees can proactively spend on their own and their families' expenses. We offer an income level that is enough for employees to cover their living expenses in the city and have savings, but we still recruit very few workers," said Mr. Ngo Thanh Phat, CEO of Viet Tien Garment Joint Stock Corporation.

Workers tend to return to their hometowns.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan (40 years old, from Quang Nam) said that she used to work as a garment worker for a company in District 12, Ho Chi Minh City. Her income was from 7 to 10 million VND/month, including basic salary and insurance, attendance allowance, overtime, allowances...

However, after nearly 10 years of working as a factory worker, she only had enough to get by, without any savings. For over a month now, she has been looking for a job that matches her desire for a higher income, but has yet to find one. Companies that pay low salaries are not enough to cover expenses, while companies that pay high salaries require high skills.

"After many years of working as a worker, I always had to "tighten my belt" without any savings, so I want to find a new job with a better income. From now until the end of March, if I can't find a suitable job, I will return to my hometown to work. My hometown now has an industrial park with a stable salary," Lan confided.

According to the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, since the beginning of the year, many businesses in the city have had difficulty recruiting new workers, especially those recruiting in large numbers.

Most workers are always concerned about salary, working hours, and benefits when applying for a job. Therefore, when workers find that their salary and benefits are not guaranteed, they tend to return to their hometowns to work closer to home. Currently, all localities have industrial parks and economic zones, so more and more workers are returning to their hometowns to work.

To attract workers, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs believes that businesses, especially those recruiting a large number of workers, need to pay more attention to salary, bonus and welfare policies.

"Enterprises with good treatment policies, many development opportunities, and a safe working environment will have easier labor recruitment. At the same time, the employees of the enterprise will act as a bridge to introduce relatives and friends to work when the enterprise needs to recruit labor," the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs stated.

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