Ho Chi Minh City (VNA) – Leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labour on May 13 held a working session with a delegation from Singapore's National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to exchange experience in improving workforce quality, enhancing sustainable labour productivity and promoting technology application in trade union activities.
At the meeting, Pham Trong Nhan, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labour, said the visit took place amid the strong development of the Vietnam-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, creating favourable conditions for the two countries’ trade unions to expand practical and effective cooperation.
Nhan noted that following the merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ho Chi Minh City is operating as an “international super metropolis” with an area of over 6,700 sq.km, a population exceeding 14 million and nearly 8 million workers, around 30% of whom are informal workers.
The city’s trade union system currently manages more than 23,000 grassroots trade unions and professional associations with over 2.4 million members.
He highlighted efforts to renew trade union activities, improve worker representation and protection, promote collective bargaining and expand welfare programmes for workers, including housing, healthcare and legal support initiatives.
The Ho Chi Minh City federation has also signed cooperation agreements to develop more than 100,000 social housing units for workers during 2026-2030, with estimated investment capital exceeding 15 trillion VND (580 million USD) from businesses.
For his part, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay said Vietnam is undergoing rapid economic transformation, requiring workers to continuously upgrade skills and adapt to new jobs, making the role of trade unions increasingly important.
He noted that Singapore has experienced a major shift from a labour-intensive economy to a knowledge-based one and is now facing challenges such as population ageing, slowing labour force growth and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Patrick Tay stressed that the tripartite cooperation model among trade unions, the government and employers has played a key role in helping Singapore develop effective policies that both support businesses and safeguard workers’ rights.
At the meeting, the two sides discussed solutions to strengthen technology application in trade union activities, including AI-powered virtual assistants to modernise support services for businesses and workers.
They also exchanged views on engaging young workers and enhancing adaptability skills for Vietnamese students in Singapore amid fluctuations in the global labour market.
Both sides pledged to maintain close connections, strengthen experience-sharing and expand cooperation towards building a modern, adaptive and sustainable labour community./.
