NA deputy skeptical about employment figures                                                                 Bui Sy Loi, deputy head of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Social Affairs, cast doubt on employment targets and figures presented by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Speaking at the Autumn Economic Forum in Ninh Binh Province last week, Loi said the goals were unachievable and data provided by the ministry were not accurate. The target of 1.6 million new jobs each year as reported by the ministry is actually in a resolution of the legislative body on job creation for eight million people over five years. Therefore, it is groundless to say that 1.6 million jobs are generated a year, he said. What Loi said was sound as the ministry was unable to answer how many out of 73,800 laborers sent overseas in the January-August period this year had returned home before their contracts are terminated. Loi said at least 10% of the total number had been back to Vietnam and their conditions were even worse than before going abroad. “We have suggested that the number of jobs should not be a mandatory target of the NA. It should be replaced by the unemployment figure,” he said. Loi said the unemployment goal of 1.84% as reported by the ministry was unreliable too. “The ministry used a calculation method that is applied in the nations with good unemployment allowance systems. This method is not appropriate for Vietnam where employment changes cannot be counted and the number of employees in agricultural and unofficial sectors still accounts for a large percentage of the national workforce,” Loi explained. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs, admitted at the forum that the unemployment ratio of 1.84% has drawn much public outcry. But, she said the figure is reliable as the ministry has used the standard calculation method of the General Statistics Office. Huong noted that the employment ratio in cities is 3.6% while that of fresh graduates from tertiary schools is up to 20%. Huong said the target of 1.6 million new jobs a year is unobtainable. However, this is not a big problem as Vietnam’s aging population is leading to a decline in labor supply while demand is still stable at around 800,000 employees a year.     SGT