Important labor force of the city
For 3 years now, Mr. Dam Van Tu, born in 2003, from Thinh Minh commune (Phu Tho province) and a group of more than ten brothers, friends, and relatives have come to Hanoi to work for his uncle who is a construction contractor.
Mr. Tu said that after graduating from high school, he did not pass the university entrance exam, so he stayed at home to help his parents with farming and doing odd jobs around the commune. "I do whatever anyone hires me to do, from construction worker, forest planting, helping at eateries... However, my income is very precarious, even months with or without income," Mr. Tu said.
After 3 years of working in Hanoi, Mr. Tu followed his uncle through dozens of construction projects, living in the scene of street food and market porridge. With a monthly income of about 12 million VND, Mr. Tu balances his food and living expenses and sends home about 4 million VND/month.
Although his income has increased compared to his hometown, what worries Mr. Tu the most is that he is just a freelancer, making verbal contracts and has no social insurance benefits. If an accident or illness occurs, the additional income will certainly not be enough for medical expenses. Not to mention, the cost of living in Hanoi compared to his hometown is too high, to save a little money to send back to his hometown, he is very "headache".
I realize that being a general laborer does not require much, but now that I have health, I can still do these jobs. When I become weaker and older, I will definitely have to consider other paths. Even returning to my hometown to earn a living," Mr. Tu said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs, said that the urbanization and industrial development process over the years has attracted a large number of workers from localities to major cities to find jobs. The migrant labor force plays an important role in many industries such as manufacturing, construction, services, transportation or retail.
In large cities, migrant workers are present in most sectors of the economy. From industrial parks, construction sites to wholesale markets, eateries, service stores, this labor force contributes to maintaining the operation of many industries. For many workers in rural areas, migration to cities is an opportunity to improve income and change their lives. Compared to farming, jobs in urban areas often bring higher incomes, helping them to send money back to support their families," Ms. Huong shared.
However, according to Ms. Huong, most migrant workers work in industries with low or medium skill requirements. The main jobs are production workers, construction workers, sales workers, domestic helpers, delivery workers or small-scale services. These are also jobs that are easily affected when the labor market fluctuates.
Unstable employment
Mr. Le Quang Minh - Director of Binh Minh Transport Co., Ltd. (Ha Dong ward, Hanoi) said that one of the biggest difficulties for migrant workers is job stability. Many people work under short-term contracts or freelance jobs, depending on the needs of the market and businesses. When businesses cut production or projects are temporarily suspended, workers may lose their jobs immediately.
At Mr. Minh's company, the driver and assistant driver department has up to 70% of immigrant workers. Although his income is enough to ensure his living standard in Hanoi, Mr. Minh is still having a headache because of the fluctuations of this group of workers.
Employees who have been attached for over 3 years only account for about 20%, the rest fluctuate continuously. Some people even start working, get a salary for 1 month and then quit immediately. We have signed labor contracts, ensuring minimum benefits, but the workers themselves after working for a while prefer freelance jobs such as driving technology cars, delivering goods...", Mr. Minh said.
According to Ms. Nguyen Quynh Anh - Human Resources Director of Phu Thanh Group (Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi), migrant workers are an important part of the urban labor market, so there needs to be appropriate support policies to ensure their rights and improve their quality of life.
It is necessary to expand stable job opportunities through the development of high-value industries and improve the quality of vocational training for workers. Social insurance and health insurance policies need to be designed more flexibly to suit both formal and informal workers. In addition, localities with a large number of migrant workers also need to pay more attention to the living conditions of this group through the development of social housing and essential public services...", Ms. Quynh Anh stated her opinion.
