Up to 17 million Vietnamese laborers are living under the poverty line with an income of below $2 per day, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO). Besides, 23 million others are living near the poverty line and easy to fall back into poverty in the context of a possible economic crisis, the organization added. Mr. Phu Huynh, a labor expert from the ILO said the speedier change in the economy structure will likely help nearly 25 million laborers in the low-productivity agriculture sector switch to better jobs in industrial sector and services. Over the past years, Vietnam has lost roughly 200,000 hectares of farm land for industrial projects, golf courts, and large property projects, making nearly 2.5 million rural workers jobless. As a result, rural people across the country are having more difficulties in finding jobs, particularly in the persistent economic slowdown, which has forced 60,700 businesses to scale down or suspend their operation and to lay off their staff to cut costs. Vietnam’s unemployment rate is estimated at 2.2% in 2013 compared to 1.96% at end-2012. As of end-December, Vietnam has 47.49 million people in the working age (18 years old and above), up 409,200 from early January and equal to about half of the country’s total population, said the government’s General Statistics Office (GSO). (Doanh Nhan Sai Gon – Saigon Businessman Dec 24 p2, Nguoi Lao Dong – Laborer Dec 13)
