The HCM City Centre for Human Resource Forecast and Labour Information foresees a mere 3 per cent shortage in worker numbers after Tết (the Lunar New Year). — Photo baodautu.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City Centre for Human Resource Forecast and Labour Information foresees a mere 3 per cent shortage in worker numbers after Tết (the Lunar New Year).

The rate was the same last year after many companies had begun to offer workers attractive terms to retain them, like providing free bus tickets to return home for the Lunar New Year, according to the centre.

Besides, for the last two or three years workers have been getting good salaries and bonuses and so do not want to change jobs, with only 15 per cent expected to switch, it said.

For many years workers returning home for Tết would stay back and find jobs locally or return to HCM City and switch companies.

The centre also forecast that enterprises would need nearly 69,000 new workers in this quarter, 28 per cent of them for manual work.

In January and February the need for people doing domestic work, caring for bonsai, delivering goods, and doing security work will increase as preparations get under way for Tết.

Figures from the city Department of Planning and Investment showed there were 289,891 operational enterprises last year.

Programmes for administrative reform and urban development as well as other measures to improve the investment environment have been undertaken to encourage enterprises to expand production and trading, leading to a positive affect on the labour market, according to the centre.

Seasonal jobs

The centre’s recent survey of 1,300 enterprises in the city found that 30,000 workers are needed for seasonal jobs before and during Tết, a 15-20 per cent increase from other times in the year.

Trần Anh Tuấn, the centre’s deputy head, said this offers students a chance to earn an income.

For instance, mywork.com.vn lists 40 vacancies for students at Cuisine Service Company during Tết.

Enterprises elsewhere in the southern region too need workers for expanding production at the end of year.

Bình Dương Province, for instance, needs more than 20,000 workers, more than 50 per cent of them for seasonal jobs. — VNS