Dr. Tran Hong Quang, Director of the National Centre for Socio-economic Information and Forecast (NCIF), said the revolution will reduce the size of the labour force and improve efficiency and productivity.
However, it would lead to increased unemployment and income inequality, the official pointed out.
Echoing Quang’s views, Associate Professor and Dr. Vu Quang Tho from the Worker and Trade Union Institute under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour said if labourers fail to adapt, they may lose their jobs.
Dr. Nguyen Van Thuat from the NCIF stressed the need for Vietnam to prepare measures to deal with the sharp decrease in the demand for unskilled labourers in several sectors.
Although Vietnam is stepping up international integration efforts, up to 77 percent of its workforce (43 million labourers) are not trained, he said, describing this as a major problem in national socio-economic development.
The delegates also pointed out the likelihood of many labourers being replaced by robots and smart equipment.
Associate Professor and Dr. Bui Van Huyen from the Economic Institute under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics said the industrial revolution has generated opportunities and challenges for the country’s social welfare sector.
He suggested utilising the opportunities to overcome the challenges, noting Vietnam needs to change its education policies and apply new technologies in labour management.
Tho added Vietnam should continue to develop the labour supported by completed law, institutional tools and policy, while working to improve workforce quality and structure, as well as the income of labourers.
VNA/VNP
