Hanoi (VNA) – Vocational training must be atthe centre of the labour, invalids, and social affairs sector’s focus in order tomeet the demands for high-quality human resources in the country, Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam has said.

“Vietnamese labourers must be well-prepared so that they are able to work in morecomplex industries and earn higher incomes”, Deputy PM Dam underlined whileattending a teleconference to launch tasks of the Ministry of Labour, Invalidsand Social Affairs (MoLISA) on January 18.

In particular, training highly skilled workers is an important step as Vietnammoves towards a more open and connected world following on from the FourthIndustrial Revolution, he added.

Together with human resources training, Dam noted that the sector should workto fulfill missions in 2019 as entrusted by the National Assembly andGovernment, including reducing the unemployment rate in urban area to under 4percent, keeping the percentage of trained labourers at a minimum of 60-62percent, and cutting the rate of impoverished households by 1-1.5 percent (inline with the multi-dimensional poverty measurement method).

He also hailed the robust achievements attained by the sector in 2018, saying thatthey made significant contributions to completing the NA and Government’s 12socio-economic criteria set for the year.

Some 2.21 million people received vocational training in 2018, or 100.5 percentof the estimated figure. Nearly 1.65 million of them went on to obtain jobs withinthe year, of which over 1.5 million were recruited in domestic firms, and morethan 141,000 worked overseas, the highest figure recorded.

Thanks to the sector’s efforts to expand social insurance coverage, some 14.7million people joined the scheme, accounting for 30.4 percent of the workforcein the country.

It is estimated that 99 percent of the families who had rendered their servicesto the nation had a higher or equal living standard as compared to the averageof their residential areas, all social policy beneficiaries received monthlyallowance, 83 percent of people with disablilities received rehabilitationtreatment, and 88 percent of children with special circumstances receivedsupport.

Regarding the poverty rate, the average figure in the country was 5.35 percentby the end of 2018, 1.35 percent lower than the same period in 2017.

Joining the nation’s efforts to promote administrative reform, the ministry cut60 out of 107 business conditions, and reduced and simplified 19 out of 31 productsthat were subject to specialised inspection.

Participants at the event pointed out some limitations of the ministry,including the weak connection between supply and demand, the poor quality ofvocational training in some training centres, an unsustainable povertyalleviation programme, and public concern over social insurance frauds thatcaused social anxiety. –VNA