Youth unemployment in Vietnam

The youth is also facing with many challenges. The biggest challenge to the youth nowadays is jobs. Millions of young people in the urban area are unemployed; the employed time of rural young people is less than 75% in a year. Less than 15% of young workers receive technical training, and very few have high skills. Many well-trained and capable young people are not properly employed. (Vietnam’s Youth Development Strategy by 2010: 2)

In Vietnam, as in many other developing countries, decisions on public education and training are made by the Government. Linkages between education and training and industry are inadequately developed. Yet such links are especially important in a country like Vietnam where the economy is under going industrialisation and restructuring. Dialogue between the relevant government ministries and industry is needed to ensure that schools and other education and training institutions are producing graduates needed by businesses. Furthermore such dialogue would facilitate early and better actions to deal with manpower mismatches which are inevitable in a rapidly changing economy. (VCCI/ILO, 2007: 8)

On the one hand there is the need to address the issue of youth unemployment and to ensure that all young people have gainful employment. To achieve this the skills that the young people possess need to match the skills demands of industry and reflect the composition of the Vietnamese labour market. On the other is a debate as to how best ensure young people are trained and the need to enhance the linkages between education and industry.

Vietnam has a growing drug problem in areas where there is high youth unemployment. Vietnam is in the midst of an expanding HIV epidemic, primarily driven by an increase in injection drug use in young people. The next generation for this nation is under extreme pressure. IN praying for Vietnam, seek God for its youth and a future and hope for them.