Workers produce interior decorations at a company in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc. The labour sector has made remarkable achievement in the past five years. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has created new jobs for more than eight million workers over the past five years and is one of 10 countries worldwide with the lowest unemployment rate.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung made the announcement during a nationwide online conference held yesterday in Hà Nội.

The conference aimed at summarising the ministry’s work in the period 2016-20 and drawing up plans for the next five years.

Achievements

Dung said that in the period 2015-20, while many countries in the region and the world fell into recession, Việt Nam was proud to have achieved "double goals" in pandemic prevention and control and maintain economic growth whereas social security is guaranteed.

He said this was particularly important because of problems last year with COVID-19 and natural disasters causing extensive loss of life and damage to infrastructure.

He also revealed more than 635,000 people had been working abroad under contracts in the past five years exceeding the target by 27 per cent.

There has also been a commitment to reducing inequality with Việt Nam currently ranked second in the ASEAN region and 77 out of 158 countries worldwide in terms of ensuring gender equality and promoting women's rights.

In particular, the country successfully completed the role of ASEAN Chairmanship last year.

"In the past five years, the labour sector has persisted in implementing goals, synchronous tasks, creating breakthroughs and outstanding results,” said Dung.

Multidimensional poverty reduction also received good results. The average reduction of the past five years is 1.35 per cent per year, from 9.88 per cent in 2015 to 2.75 per cent in 2020.

Plan

Experts at the conference agreed that in the context of international integration and the fourth industrial revolution, along with efforts to restore the global economy after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it requires more work, determination and creativity in implementing tasks.

Minister Dung said that in the period 2021-25, the labour, invalids and social affairs sector should focus on developing a synchronous, modern and efficient labour market with quality human resources to meet rapid development, sustainability and economic competitiveness.

It would also develop a comprehensive social security system, towards covering the entire population, to meet the basic needs and allow people to live a safe, equal and happy life, contributing to ensuring social justice.

The sector would also focus on building a harmonious, stable and progressive labour system and form the representative organisation of employees at enterprises as prescribed in the Labour Code, effective from the beginning of this year.

"These are very important issues that will make fundamental changes in industrial relations in the business sector," said Dung. — VNS