Industrial parks (IPs) and export processing zones (EPZs) in Vietnam's southern region are encountering labor shortage, mainly due to workers having more employment alternatives, local newspaper Vietnam News said Friday.

The IPs and EPZs now need to source out over 100,000 new workers, while some employees have quit jobs in urban areas, either because their hometowns in other regions have built their own IPs and EPZs, or simply have wanted to stay with their families after returning home for the Lunar New Year Festival in late January and early February.

Many companies in IPs and EPZs have received new large orders since the beginning of this year, requiring strong workforce to complete them on time. Booming domestic and foreign-invested enterprises have increased competition and deepened the labor shortage.

Businesses in IPs and EPZs in the two southern provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai need to recruit some 86,000 workers this year. They are worried, since some newly recruited people have failed to meet professional requirements, while some laborers are quitting jobs for higher salaries and more attractive polices elsewhere, said Nguyen Thi Kim, head of the Binh Duong Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

According to local labor officials, enterprises should offer their workers incentive treatment regarding wages, social welfare, annual leave, and improved working conditions. Firms with big workforce should build houses for their employees.

Source: Xinhua