Vietnam to grasp golden population structure opportunity

Vietnam should grasp the chance of a "golden population structure" period with many advantages and potentials of abundant young workforce to boost the country's socio-economic development, a senior official said here Tuesday. Vuong Dinh Hue, head of Vietnam's Central Economic Committee ( CEC) cum Central Communist Party of Vietnam Commissioner made the remarks at a conference on developing human resources for industrialization and modernization in the context of Vietnam's " golden population structure" in capital Hanoi. The conference was co-organized by CEC in association with Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association to celebrate the country's Population Day, which falls on Dec. 26 annually, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA reported. Hue said at the confeaarence that grasping these advantages for labor development will reduce risks and challenges of human resources as well as prepare high-quality workforce for the future. At the conference, Duong Quoc Trong, Director of General Office for Population-Family Planning under Vietnamese Ministry of Health, said the country's population has hit 90 million as of Nov. 1, 2013. Vietnam is regarded as a country with "golden population structure" when there are two or more people working and there is only one dependent person. Delegates reached a consensus at the conference that "golden population structure" provides a "golden chance" to improve economic development and investment for social welfare, healthcare, education and employment in the future. However, rapid increase in population at working age will become a burden for the whole society unless unemployment can be solved in the context of high unemployment rate and low productivity in Vietnam, VNA quoted. In order to further facilitate advantages of "golden population structure," delegates at the conference recommended Vietnam to implement policies and measures to maximize effectiveness of workforce, integrate economic structural transition and labor structural transition, promote investment, create more jobs, and expand markets for labor exports among others.