Workshop stresses importance of developing core skills for the youth

Hanoi (VNA) – An international workshop on July 14 discussed the future of work in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), highlighting the need to develop the core skills for the Vietnamese youth.

The event, held both in person and via videoconference, was an activity to continue efforts by the Vietnamese Government, ASEAN, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to realise senior leaders’ commitments to developing human resources in the changing world of work and the digital era. It took place also in response to the World Youth Skills Day (July 15).

Participants, including representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and some international organisations, pointed out the pandemic and 4IR’s impacts on the future of work and skills for the youth.

They looked into the knowledge, values, and skills that young people need to equip themselves with in the digital era, along with the training values that people should work towards when spiritual, cultural, and innovative values play an increasingly decisive role in product value.

They also gave some detailed recommendations to turn the youth into the centre, momentum, and target of socio-economic development plans.

Addressing the workshop, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu described COVID-19 and 4IR as a “double shock” for the global labour market, noting that they have caused disruptions to the labour market and an increase in unemployment and social inequality, especially among young workers.

He cited data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as showing that youth employment fell by 8.7 percent in 2020 compared with 3.7 percent for older adults.

Meanwhile, the pandemic and 4IR has also been accelerating the transition of jobs and skills to adapt to structural changes in the global economy. The jobs lost in old-fashioned industries are forecast to be replaced by new ones in green and innovative industries.

Therefore, to meet requirements in a new world of work, about 50 percent of workers will need re-training and intensive training in skills, Vu noted.

In Vietnam, people of working age account for nearly 60 percent of the population, with the youth playing the core role, he said, adding that young workers are facing both opportunities and challenges in the strongly changing world of work.

The official expressed his belief that with their adaptability, young people will take the lead in improving occupational skills, especially the skills and knowledge required in the digital transformation context, so as to perfect themselves and help change the community and society./.