Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has signed a decision by the Prime Minister issuing an action plan to implement Conclusion No. 62 of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on improving national labor productivity while developing a coordinated, modern and efficient labor market in the new period.

The plan sets out a range of tasks and measures. Among them, the Prime Minister has instructed ministries, agencies and local authorities to quickly improve mechanisms and policies for attracting investment, with priority given to projects using advanced and high technologies, generating high added value, applying modern management practices, using resources efficiently and creating large numbers of high-quality, productive and well-paid jobs.

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Training should focus on developing a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting labor market needs. Photo: Le Anh Dung

The Ministry of Finance, together with other ministries, agencies and local authorities, will review and assess the role of businesses in improving labor productivity. The findings will provide a basis for developing mechanisms and policies to encourage companies to invest in technological innovation, improve production processes and management capabilities, develop human resources and create highly productive jobs.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will take the lead in coordinating with ministries and agencies to research and develop policies and support programs covering employment, vocational skills development, wages and social insurance, while promoting the movement of workers from low-productivity sectors to higher-productivity ones. Relevant policies are to be amended, supplemented or issued by 2027, with implementation continuing on a regular basis.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Education and Training with working with other ministries and agencies to quickly improve mechanisms for implementing and expanding dual vocational training, practice-based training institutions, employer-commissioned training and programs linked directly to specific job positions. Businesses will also be encouraged to play a greater role in developing curricula, organizing training, assessing trainees and employing workers after graduation.

The ministry will develop and implement training and retraining programs to improve workers’ digital, artificial intelligence, green and vocational skills, while supporting career transitions, particularly for workers in industries and occupations heavily affected by technological innovation, automation and digital transformation.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will coordinate with other ministries and agencies to research and develop special and preferential mechanisms and policies, as well as regulatory sandboxes, to attract, employ and make effective use of high-quality experts, scientists and professionals in science, technology, innovation and digital transformation from Vietnam and abroad.

Shift the focus from qualifications to practical skills

The Ministry of Finance will lead efforts with other ministries and agencies to develop preferential financial, tax and investment-fund policies supporting businesses and experts, with the aim of attracting highly skilled professionals, foreign experts and scientists to work, conduct research and pursue innovation in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other ministries and agencies to review and improve regulations on salaries, income and work permits to attract foreign experts and scientists. It will also review policies designed to encourage businesses to train, retrain and develop the skills of their employees.

As part of efforts to develop a highly skilled workforce, the Ministry of Education and Training is expected to expand the lifelong learning system, giving workers more opportunities to study, retrain and continuously upgrade their skills.

The Prime Minister emphasized the need for a decisive shift away from placing heavy emphasis on academic qualifications toward valuing vocational skills, practical capabilities, adaptability and job performance.

The government has also called for changes to training models, stronger links between general education, vocational education and higher education, and the development of programs for practice-oriented engineers, highly skilled technical workers and new occupations emerging from digital transformation, the green transition, population aging and technological innovation.

Another important task is to strengthen career guidance and vocational pathways for students after lower secondary school, while studying the introduction of internationally benchmarked vocational programs after lower secondary education, known as the “9+” vocational model, that respond to labor market demand and integrate general and vocational education.

Under the model, students would complete their secondary education while also gaining vocational qualifications, ensuring pathways to further education and allowing them to enter the labor market at an earlier stage.

Tran Thuong