Workplace productivity improvements needed for economic competitiveness: Expert

Vietnam must look to improve national workplace productivity if it wants to promote its economic competitiveness and growth, according to Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Vu Tien Loc.

Loc made the statement at a workshop held by the VCCI and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Hanoi on April 28, part of activities launched by VCCI to improve workplace productivity at businesses.

According to Loc, Vietnam’s workplace productivity has improved remarkably in recent years, posting a rise of 5.8% each year in the 2016-2020 period and exceeding the target by 0.8%.

The country’s growth model has gradually reduced a dependence on the exploitation of natural resources, raw material exports, low-cost labour, and credit expansion, and begun relying on the application of science, technology, and innovation, he said.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Vietnam’s workplace productivity in the 2011-2020 period rose 5.11%, 2% higher than the average in ASEAN.

Its productivity has improved significantly but is still low compared to countries such as China and India, it noted.

Kenichi Ohno from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies of Japan said with the support of international organisations such as the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), a number of productivity improvement programmes have been implemented in Vietnam over recent years, contributing significantly to boosting workplace productivity.

Vietnam should learn from Japan’s experience and tools as well as those of other Asian countries to improve its workplace productivity.

The Japanese Government and business community are willing to cooperate and support Vietnam in effectively improving productivity, he said.

Participants at the workshop also highlighted the important contribution of the digital economy to productivity and efficiency in the economy, saying that this is a new driver of rapid improvements.

Mời quý độc giả theo dõi VOV.VN trên