Businesses in the southern province of Long An are having difficulty in finding human resources, a survey by the workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup Vietnam has found.

Nearly 40 per cent of surveyed businesses said they have been unable to hire the desired number of workers, according to the survey done earlier this month.

Thirty-two per cent of the employers admitted employee turnover is high.

While the employers were aware of the importance of offering employees packages with a broad range of benefits, some benefits such as training and development programmes, flexible working schedules, lunch allowances, and employee reward and recognition programmes are not yet delivered due to certain reasons.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disturbances to the labour market and badly affected businesses and workers across the country, Pham Anh Thang, head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ representative office in the south, said.

With its growing industrial production, Long An is one of localities facing severe impacts on labour, Thang told a seminar titled ‘Employee Retention Post The Pandemic’ on Tuesday (June 14).

Businesses face a human resource shortage running into the dozens of thousands, prompting businesses to focus on strategies to attract and retain workers, he said.

A survey done last year by ManpowerGroup and the Institute of Labour and Social Affairs found that more than one fifth of foreign-owned manufacturing businesses have difficulty finding skilled workers meeting their requirements. Meanwhile, the labour demand is expected to keep rising to keep up with the development requirements.

In the first quarter more than 16.9 million people aged 15 and over were negatively impacted by the pandemic, according to the General Statistics Office.

Nguyen Thu Trang, country head of permanent recruitment and executive search services at ManpowerGroup Vietnam, said: “Now, perhaps more than ever, people want their employers to offer more. They want their mental health and well-being prioritised while also looking for flexibility, competitive pay, good working conditions, an inspiring corporate culture, and skills development opportunities.

“Employers who acknowledge the emerging needs of workers and turn them into action will win in this era of talent shortage.” — VNS