Elderly workers mainly work as cleaners and security guards
Mr. Tran Minh Man (Thuong Phuc commune, Hanoi) has been pursuing construction projects for more than 10 years, after he and his wife quit farming in their hometown. At the age of 59, Mr. Man feels that he does not have enough health to follow his old profession, so he wants to find new job opportunities.
Wanting to apply to work as a security guard for companies and businesses near his house for convenient travel, Mr. Man participated in a job transaction session for the elderly organized by the Hanoi Employment Service Center.
At the session, I received interviews from 2 businesses, applying for a security guard position. Although the business quite liked me, I had not yet finalized the job because the workplace is more than 10km from home. The salary is also not competitive, not even 2/3 compared to working at the construction site; other benefits are also not attractive" - Mr. Man said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet (Ngoc Hoi commune, Hanoi) also wants to find a janitor job at the age of 61.
Ms. Tuyet said that she used to work as a kitchen assistant at a private kindergarten. After 5 years of attachment, she wants to work as a janitor in a small-scale company to reduce workload and have time to take care of herself.
Attending the job fair for the elderly, Ms. Tuyet was hired as a janitor for a company specializing in producing plastic items in Phuong Liet ward (Hanoi).
Ms. Tuyet said that she agreed to go to work immediately because the company is only 5km from home.
Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center - said that through a survey by the Center, in the Capital, the majority of elderly workers looking for jobs belong to the simple level group such as security guards, cleaners, product packaging staff...
A very small percentage of businesses recruit senior workers in the "high-end" segment rather than consulting experts. This is a job position for groups of workers with qualifications and expertise who have retired, and businesses that need to recruit them to become consulting experts in some specialized and specific fields.
In fact, the targets for recruiting elderly workers are mainly security personnel, security guards, consultants, customer care staff, kitchen staff, kitchen assistants, cleaning staff, sanitation staff, handicraft makers, hourly helpers and part-time jobs" - Mr. Thanh said.
Need to support employment for elderly workers
Mr. Vu Quang Thanh added that job fairs for the elderly often have the participation of vocational education institutions to advise, introduce vocational training programs, retraining and improving skills for the elderly.
According to Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment, currently our country has more than 16 million elderly people - accounting for about 16% of the population, this is a labor resource that needs to be concerned and supported for employment.
Therefore, if the elderly still have the ability to participate in the labor market, functional sectors must specifically assess the thoughts, aspirations, abilities, and needs of the elderly to have a plan to use the elderly in the right direction they desire.
