Jobs to be created for 1,4 million people in 2001
Ha Noi, Jan. 11 (VNA) -- Jobs will be created for 1.4 million people in 2001, reported the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs at a conference to review its work in 2000 and launch the tasks for 2001.
The conference, held in Ha Noi on Jan. 9 and 10, discussed measures to implement the tasks of 2001, focusing on poverty reduction, employment, job training, labour export and social evils. The goals for 2001 are to create jobs for 1.4 million people, give job training to 840,000 labourers, export more than 40,000 workers, and reduce the poverty rate under the newly-drawn poverty line to 15 percent (or 300,000 households).
In 2000, more than 1,3 million people were given jobs, including more than 30,000 workers sent abroad under labour contracts. Guest workers remitted home about USD 1.25 billion. The number of people given job training was 792,000, an 18 percent year-on-year increase. The "Paying Debts of Gratitude" Fund raised VND 94.5 billion (USD 6.8 million). Localities across the country built about 10,000 houses for those people who had rendered meritorious services to the nation, raising the total number to 140,556 houses. The rate of poor households dropped from 20.3 percent in 1995 to 11 percent in 2000. With 1.5 million households escaping poverty, Viet Nam has been put in the spotlight in national renovation by international organizations. The war invalids and social affairs service also helped the government to make and promulgate new policies, including two ordinances, seven decrees and four decisions, in order to improve policies on employment, labour export, salary, poverty reduction and prevention of social evils.
Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem highlighted the achievements of the labour, war invalids and social affairs sector and its contributions to maintaining economic, political and social stability. He also pointed to weaknesses of the sector, including a high unemployment rate in urban areas; slow change of labour structure; and low efficiency in combining poverty reduction and other social programmes; projects; delay in implementation of policy for victims of Agent Orange.--VNA
