In addition to the high year-on-year economic growth of recent years, the transition of economic restructuring is in full swing. The agro-forestry-fishery sector accounts for 58 percent of the labour structure of the entire economy. The labour force in rural areas makes up around 75 percent of the national labour force, equivalent to 30 million people. Even though the labour force makes up a high proportion, the labour quality remains an unsolved problem and fails to meet the set requirements. According to statistics, from 1999-2003, the number of trained labourers in rural areas was three times lower than that in urban areas. In 2003, the labour force in urban areas was 39.9 percent while in rural areas it reached 13.47 percent.

In urban areas, 67 of every 100 people engaged in the labour force are graduates from senior secondary schools, 1.5 times higher than the figure in rural areas. Meanwhile, the number of illiterate people in rural areas is four times higher than that in urban areas, resulting in low labour productivity and low consumption power. Per capita labour productivity in the agricultural sector reaches approximately VND737,000 a year on average, equivalent to 23 percent of labour productivity in the industrial sector and 18 percent of labour productivity in the service sector. Such low labour productivity has led to 80 percent of poor farmer households living in rural areas.

To cope with the situation, experts have said economic restructuring should be strengthened in order to effectively resolve employment issues in rural areas. Proposed measures include strengthening investment in infrastructure, encouraging the private economic sector to develop, expanding the services sector in rural areas, fostering the processing industry and restoring and developing traditional craft villages. All the measures on economic restructuring aim to generate jobs for rural labourers. In addition to economic solutions, the Government should effectively invest in poverty reduction, employment promotion and labour export programmes. Labour training and retraining strategies in rural areas should be built and vocational training methods should also be diversified in the near future.

In the integration process, competitive ability depends on scientific and technological intellectual potential and labourers’ capacity. Therefore, employment and the quality of human resources are urgent matters for Vietnam.