State-owned enterprises and local businesses should pay due attention to training workers for the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) so that they are not rendered redundant, experts say. (Source: VNA)HCMCity (VNA) - State-owned enterprises and local businessesshould pay due attention to training workers for the fourth industrialrevolution (Industry 4.0) so that they are not rendered redundant, experts said.
With Industry 4.0 likely to replace people on production lines with machines toimprove productivity, reduce labour costs as well as administrative cost,workers in all countries face a daunting challenge, economist Le DangDoanh said on the sidelines of the forum held last week on cooperation betweenVietnam and Japan for Asia-Pacific economic integration.
He said many Vietnamese companies had already started investing in automation,dismissing hundreds of workers.
About 86 percent of Vietnam’s apparel and footwear workers are expected to losetheir jobs in the next 15 years, Doanh said.
Le Tien Truong, General Director of Vietnam Textile and Garment Group, said thetextile and garment industry was using a lot of basic-skills labour, so itwould be greatly affected by the Industry 4.0.
In the three main stages of the textile and garment industry, including makingyarn, dyeing and garment-making, the yarn and dyeing stages are being automatedand information technology used to increase productivity and reduce labourcosts, he said.
The footwear industry in Vietnam is also facing a similar situation, saidNguyen Duc Thuan, Chairman of Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association.Therefore, companies should invest in new policies and train workers, he said.
The problem is that Vietnamese workers have to change their mindset and learnto do new jobs and be willing to taken on other work when they lose a job, hesaid.
Another Industry 4.0 challenge is that millions of workers losing their jobs needopportunities to learn, but at 35-40, it is not easy to acquire new knowledgeand skills within the current educational system in the country, he added.
Doanh said that the State should come up with solutions to provide training innew kills for workers and create more job opportunities for them, Doanh said.
A representative of the Nguyen Tat Thanh University said that Industry 4.0 isposing many big challenges to Vietnam’s educational system.
Universities will have to revise their programmes to provide the skills andknowledge as also encourage innovative thinking and adaptability to changingwork requirements, he said. -VNA
VNA
