HANOI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Although Vietnam's labor productivity growth rate ranks among the highest in the region in recent years, the nation's maximum value of labor productivity is much lower than that of other countries, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday, citing the Population and Labor Statistics Department under the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Pham Hoai Nam, the department's director, said most Vietnamese laborers work in the informal sector and take seasonal jobs when businesses have orders.
According to the office, the Vietnamese labor market remains unstable, citing the fact that more than 933,000 people currently have no jobs, an increase of 47,200 compared to the same period last year. There are currently 37.8 million unskilled workers in Vietnam.
Nam said the labor market had not seen much quality improvement. Informal workers taking unstable and low-income jobs do not have any type of compulsory social, health, or unemployment insurance covered.
Vietnam now has about 51.3 million laborers aged 15 and above with an average monthly income of 7.6 million Vietnamese dong (298 U.S. dollars) per capita, according to the GSO.
The country aims at 6.5 percent of annual labor productivity growth by 2030, according to the government. ■
