Large labor shortage restricts the resumption of work and production in key economic zones in southern Vietnam

According to Vietnam’s “Customs News” reported on October 31, the key economic zone in southern Vietnam centered on Ho Chi Minh City is facing a labor shortage. Since the unblocking of Ho Chi Minh City on October 1, about 150,000 workers have returned to work, bringing the number of workers in the city to 230,000, but there is still a gap of about 56%. Mui Huu Xin, chairman of the Binh Duong Provincial Enterprise Federation, said that many workers have returned or are returning to their hometowns to avoid the epidemic, and the company’s worker shortage has reached 50%, which means that production capacity has been reduced by half. The Dong Nai Provincial Department of Labor, Social Affairs and Invalids stated that more than 30,000 workers have returned to their hometowns, and companies are facing a shortage of workers when they resume work and production. Southern Textile and Garment Co., Ltd. said that the current biggest difficulty in the textile and garment industry is the serious shortage of workers. What companies are most worried about is being fined for failing to complete orders in time. Nguyen Liem, vice chairman of the Binh Duong Provincial Wood Products Association, said that although there are abundant orders, companies are afraid to take more orders due to a shortage of 40-50% of workers. </p