Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam-Austria forum on skilled labour and vocational training has been organised in Krems city, opening up opportunities for the two countries to boost cooperation in high-quality human resources development.
The December 10 event was held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Austria, in collaboration with IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), and the Austrian Business Agency (ABA), drawing 170 delegates in person and 150 delegates online, including representatives of 30 companies and vocational schools from Vietnam.
It consisted of three sessions, covering updates on the labour policies and legal environment of both countries, opportunities and challenges for cooperation in fields such as healthcare-nursing, tourism and hotel-restaurant management, information technology, and other industries.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang highlighted the strong interest of government agencies, associations and training institutions, noting significant potential for expanding the skilled labour market between the two countries.
Lower Austria’s Provincial Councillor Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister described the forum as timely, pointing to IMC Krems longstanding cooperation with Vietnam, including full scholarships for 150 Vietnamese nursing trainees.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang underlined the country’s demographic advantage, with 68% of its population of working age and an annual labour force increase of around one million. With more than 860,000 Vietnamese working in over 40 overseas markets, he stressed that labour mobility serves both socio-economic development and a broader human resources diplomacy agenda. Austria, facing labour shortages linked to population ageing, is increasingly interested in Vietnam’s young and diligent workforce. The two economies can complement each other as Australia needs highly skilled labor to compensate for the shortage caused by an aging population, while Vietnam boasts a young, intelligent, hardworking, and eager-to-learn workforce.
Acting Director of the ministry’s Department of Overseas Labour Management Vu Truong Giang stressed that although no formal agreement exists yet, 55 Vietnamese workers are already employed in Austria under pilot schemes, earning stable incomes and receiving good welfares.
Both sides agreed to accelerate negotiations towards a bilateral labour agreement, establishing a stable legal framework for future cooperation and reinforcing labour collaboration as a pillar of bilateral relations./.
Vietnam seeks to boost labour cooperation with Austria
Vietnam is also a highly potential partner for skilled labour, especially as Austria continues to expand its labour markets beyond Southeast Europe, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil, said Rene Tritscher, head of the Austrian Business Agency (ABA).
