Coordinate the return of workers to Ho Chi Minh City to restore production.

Prior to Ho Chi Minh City's gradual reopening, businesses in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces placed high hopes on the plan to restore production after a long period of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers also eagerly awaited returning to work to earn income after many days of struggling to make ends meet while waiting for factories to resume operations.

Counting down the days until I can go back to work.

To revive production, businesses are currently focusing on their workforce, as many workers have left Ho Chi Minh City to return to their hometowns. However, due to concerns about a resurgence of the pandemic, the inability to travel between provinces, and the uncertainty surrounding reopening plans, the available workforce remains limited.

A few businesses in Ho Chi Minh City are maintaining a "three-in-one" production model. Photo: AN NHIEN

Ms. Hoang Phuong, who worked at a large-scale leather shoe company (Linh Trung I Export Processing Zone, Thu Duc City), quit her job nearly three months ago and moved from Ho Chi Minh City back to her hometown in Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan. To retain workers, the company continued to pay minimum wage during the period of inactivity, despite having no revenue.

Ms. Phuong is worried about whether she will be able to return to work in October, as her fellow workers are excitedly discussing the factory's imminent reopening. "I'm used to the daily routine of going to work in the morning and resting in the evening. Being off for almost three months feels very restrictive. I really want to get back to the production line soon, but I don't know how I'll get there," Ms. Phuong said.

Regarding the direction of production recovery, Mr. Do Ha Nam, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Intimex Group, emphasized that the prolonged closure period had depleted the resources of businesses. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate production recovery to revive the economy, otherwise, they will sink deeper into the crisis. As for the production and business situation of Intimex Group's agricultural sector, it remains positive due to the effective implementation of pandemic control measures and good economic management.

According to Mr. Nam, a significant number of workers have already been vaccinated, public health measures have been strengthened, and businesses should confidently reopen to welcome workers back. Simultaneously, businesses and the healthcare system need to prepare contingency plans to calmly handle infections and maintain stable production levels, rather than panicking or being caught off guard.

Furthermore, businesses need to have plans for reopening and resuming production, focusing on localized handling of situations when outbreaks occur. Businesses also need welfare policies to attract employees back to the workplace. In addition, business leaders must have determination and clear stances so that employees feel secure when returning to the factory.

Mr. Nam said: "Besides factory workers, there is also a huge demand for labor in service industries such as restaurants, tourism, food services, and shopping malls. We need to make plans to help them return to work as soon as possible to reduce social pressure.".

How will the workers return?

To date, many local labor management agencies have stated that there are no official plans from businesses or provinces and cities regarding methods for encouraging workers to return to their workplaces.

Data from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Dong Thap province shows that the province has approximately 1 million workers, of which more than 174,000 work in various provinces and cities in the South. Notably, self-employed workers account for a significant number with nearly 136,000 people, while workers in enterprises number over 38,000, with the highest concentration in Long An province with over 10,000 people.

As of September 28th, the province had already brought hundreds of workers from Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City back to their hometowns, and plans to bring another 700 from Ho Chi Minh City back in the coming days. With many provinces and cities in the Southeast region planning to restore production and needing more workers, the labor supply will be scarce.

Therefore, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Dong Thap province, believes that labor resources are indeed crucial at this time for businesses to recover production. However, in addition to the provincial program to bring people back to their hometowns, there is also a portion of workers returning home spontaneously. Therefore, calling on workers to return to their workplaces requires careful planning and coordinated efforts between businesses and provincial authorities to ensure both disease prevention and safe production at factories.

Without a well-coordinated plan, workers will feel insecure about leaving their hometowns, and disease control efforts will not be effective. Furthermore, returning home may lead workers to adopt a defensive mindset, seeking new jobs or considering overseas employment to improve their income.

Mr. Tran Thien Long, Vice Chairman of the Association of Industrial Zone Enterprises of Ho Chi Minh City, said that human resources are needed. recover Production is currently a major concern for businesses. A significant number of workers have left Ho Chi Minh City to return to their hometowns, and there is currently no concrete plan to encourage their return. Furthermore, the plan for bringing workers from other provinces back to the city has not been thoroughly discussed, potentially delaying recovery plans for businesses. This could lead to disruptions in the production chain.

Therefore, Mr. Long suggested that for businesses to proactively plan for production recovery, it is necessary to continue expanding COVID-19 vaccination for workers so they can feel secure returning to factories. The second dose of the vaccine for over 100,000 workers in export processing zones and industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City needs to be administered quickly. Agencies and businesses need to alleviate the anxiety of employees, as they may feel uneasy returning to work during the pandemic.

Besides, workforce Most of the workers in the factories are from the provinces, and at this time, they are unable to travel to the city to work. Furthermore, despite the policy of opening up, businesses are unsure which industries to prioritize and to what extent, making it difficult for them to proactively plan for a suitable workforce. Businesses cannot simultaneously recruit too many workers while production is limited, creating a situation of both surplus and shortage.