Switzerland, Vietnam share experience to promote job security

Hanoi (VNA)- At the dialogue, MoLISA Deputy Minister Le Van Thanh said that diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Switzerland have made significant progress in all fields over the past 50 years. Cooperation in labour, employment and social security has also received special attention since the two ministries established cooperative ties in 2011.

MoLISA wants to continue promoting bilateral collaboration in employment through existing effective cooperation mechanisms, and looking for more cooperation opportunities in the future, Thanh added.

Ambassador Valérie Berset Bircher at SECO said that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, employment-related issues have become a common concern between the two ministries in particular and between Vietnam and Switzerland in general.

The dialogue was an opportunity for the two ministries to discuss issues related to the labour market, job generation and maintenance, as well as effective models and solutions to restore the labour market towards ensuring employment and social security for employees after COVID-19.

Dialogue on labour and experience sharing to promote job security between Vietnam and Switzerland (Photo: VNA)

Delegates shared information about unemployment insurance policies in response to COVID-19. In the coming time, Vietnam and Switzerland will cooperate more closely in labour and employment through traditional projects such as SCORE, BETTER WORK, and especially policy cooperation with the project on labour productivity ecosystem towards decent work for the 2022-2024 period.

Within the framework of the dialogue, the two sides discussed future cooperation orientations with a focus on partnership in the fields of labour and employment, and meetings on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the International Labour Organisation.

In another developments, to improve trade performance and the international competitiveness of small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Switzerland and Vietnam earlier signed an agreement to implement the Trade Policy and Export Promotion (SwissTrade) project. 

The project will run from 2021-2024 with a total budget of 5.627 million CHF (equivalent to 148 billion VND or 6.5 million USD). Switzerland’s grant contribution is 5.0 million CHF, and the counterpart funding from the Government of Vietnam and beneficiaries is 627,000 CHF.

The SwissTrade project will offer technical assistance to the Ministry of Industry and Trade in shaping the strategic direction of import and exports from Vietnam over the next ten years. 

The agreement will also help the ministry with public-private dialogue, allowing further exchanges between the private sector and national authorities. 

It will also strengthen the capacity of Business Support Organizations in export promotion services to SMEs, improving their competitiveness and participation in global value chains.

Particular attention will be paid to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the digitalisation of Vietnamese SMEs.

The SwissTrade project will be implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the International Trade Center.

The project is a flagship of Switzerland’s economic development cooperation. The new Cooperation Programme 2021-2024, under the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), aims at supporting Việt Nam in achieving market-based and sustainable growth. The programme focuses on promoting market-oriented and reliable economic framework conditions, and on enhancing the private sector’s competitiveness and market access.

At the signing ceremony, the Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam, Ivo Sieber, said that: “With this project, Switzerland continues its longstanding cooperation in trade development with Vietnam. It will help strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs and supports a more performing, sustainable and inclusive trade development in Vietnam.”

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan said that the project SwissTrade marked an important milestone in Vietnam’s implementation of the goals of the 13th Party Congress, the 10-year social-economic development strategy 2021 – 2030 and the five-year social-economic development plan 2021 – 2025.

“The project is not only fitting but also underscores both countries’ commitment to Việt Nam’s sustainable socio-economic development,” Tan said./.