Nguyen Dang Anh Thi There’s a funny story that does the rounds about Vietnam’s agriculture industry. For more than 30 years, Vietnam has been a major rice exporter and yet every year, it is stuck in a loop in which the government, banks and local companies have to lend a hand to stock rice and make sure prices do not fall uncontrollably. And it is a fact that Vietnam is an agricultural country. Everyone knows it, but every season, we hear stories of having to save farmers from one plight or the other; campaigns are launched calling on people to buy fruits or vegetables from farmers because supply has overwhelmed demand; and of market prices dropping so sharply that some farmers decide to throw all their produce away or use them to feed cattle. To deal with these paradoxical developments and ensure a sustainable livelihood for those who depend on agriculture, we need to change the way we think; change our mindset, as people often say these days. Mai, an overseas Vietnamese … [Read more...] about For its own good, Vietnam should stick to agriculture
Why looking for job change
Why world experts say Vietnam should be economic model for North Korea?
The Hanoitimes - Vietnam and North Korea have similar background in national protection. But how they responded has set them on different paths after decades. Trump touts Vietnam's economy as model for North Korea The selection of Vietnam for the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has somewhat guided the possible reproduction of some economic models that have portrayed Vietnam one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi on March 1. Photo: VNS First of all, Vietnam serves as case study of foe-turned-ally. Vietnam and the US, once military enemies, are now parties in trade. Trade between Vietnam and the US has skyrocketed, growing from US$451 million in 1995 to roughly US$60 billion in 2018, according to statistics. People in HCM City welcome US President Barack Obama in May 2016. Photo: Soha … [Read more...] about Why world experts say Vietnam should be economic model for North Korea?
‘No place for a mother’: South Korea battles to raise birth rate
When Ashley Park started her marketing job at a Seoul drugmaker she had a near-perfect college record, flawless English, and got on well with her colleagues - none of which mattered to her employer once she fell pregnant. Nine months after she joined, Park said, "They said to my face that there is no place in the company for a woman with a child, so I needed to quit." All the women working at the firm were single or childless, she suddenly realised, and mostly below 40. Park's case exemplifies why so many South Korean women are put off marriage and childbirth, pushing the country's birth rate - one of the world's lowest - ever further down. Earlier this month Seoul announced its latest set of measures to try to stem the decline, but critics say they will have little to no effect in the face of deep-seated underlying causes. Many South Korean firms are reluctant to employ mothers, doubting their commitment to the company and fearing that they will not put in the long hours that are … [Read more...] about ‘No place for a mother’: South Korea battles to raise birth rate
Social security needs to change ahead of the Industry 4.0
Viet Nam News NHA TRANG— Social security mechanism and regulations will have to be changed since the fourth industrial revolution and free movement of labour have led to new kinds of jobs and ways of working, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has said. Speaking at the two-day 35th ASEAN Social Security Association (ASSA) Board Meeting that opened on Tuesday in Khánh Hòa Province’s Nha Trang City, he said employment has become less stable because more and more people do seasonal and short-term jobs. Việt Nam has 200,000 freelancers, the Deputy PM said. “With a computer and the internet, people can work online for companies in other countries without travelling there.” The rate of self-employment has increased, he said. These things require regulations, duties of employers and employees and co-ordination between relevant agencies relating to social security to be changed, Đam said. “The fourth industrial … [Read more...] about Social security needs to change ahead of the Industry 4.0
With bigger paycheck in sight, millennials lead job hopping trend in Vietnam
Since starting her first job as a copywriter in communications agency Youth Media nearly three years ago, Bui Quynh Trang has switched jobs three times. She has been working as a freelance videographer for about eight months now. Her stint at her previous employer lasted only nine months. The 24-year-old was with her first job for more than a year, before she decided to quit with no alternative lined up. “I was bored with the old jobs. One gave me a low wage, and the other took too many of my hours a day, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.,” Trang said. As the Vietnamese economy is expanding fast, switching jobs for better conditions has become more and more common, with the trend being led by millennials. According to a survey conducted on more than 3,000 Vietnamese born between 1980-1996 by recruitment firm Navigos Group last August, over two- thirds of respondents said they were considering switching to a new job, while 70 percent said they stay with any given company for no more … [Read more...] about With bigger paycheck in sight, millennials lead job hopping trend in Vietnam