The Mekong Delta, comprised of Can Tho city and 12 provinces, plans to create jobs for 410,000 people in 2015, an annual increase of 5.6 percent, according to Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region Nguyen Phong Quang.

Nearly 34,000 people in the Delta secured jobs in January this year, a 5.7 percent increase from the same period last year, with 68 percent of the labourers serving seasonal positions for the New Year and Lunar New Year, according to the committee.

To reach this year’s target, the regional localities will look to provide the ideal conditions for the establishment of 14,000 industrial and commercial production facilities and the expansion of existing industrial parks generating 205,000 new jobs.

Some 105,000 labourers in rural areas will hopefully escape unemployment when 800,000 hectares of water surface are dedicated to aquatic products with an additional 4.5 million hectares of land zoned for rice and fruit tree cultivation, Quang said.

Local authorities will promote healthcare, educational and social facilities employing 5,000 people, he added.

At the same time, vocational training will be promoted with a focus on young workers and those seeking new employment due to economic and business restructuring impacts. Cooperation with enterprises will also be strengthened to equip labourers with job skills that match firms’ demand.

Highly skilled staff at companies and craft villages will be mobilised to share their expertise with local people as various specialised forms of vocational training will be offered in line with particular groups of labourers, the official said.

He noted businesses will also benefit from tax cuts on vocational training expenses.

Last year, more than 387,000 people in the region became employed, a 14.7 percent rise from the previous year.

The Mekong Delta covers about 40,000 square kilometres, has a population of 18 million, and is a major aquaculture region and the largest rice production hub of Vietnam.-VNA