Ability to Use Vocational Training, Employment and Livelihood Support Services for Migrant Workers in the Non-State Economic Sector

Table 3.11. Ability to use vocational training, employment and livelihood support referral services of migrant workers in the non-state economic sector

Vocational training, employment and livelihood support services for migrant workers

Answer options (%)

DTBC

DLC

Very

favorable

Favorable

Normal

Are not

favorable

unfavorable

NLĐNC is supported in terms of orientation.

vocational training and employment

0.0

42.6

24.5

32.9

0.0

3.10

0.86

Facilitate operations

local birth support

0.0

6.0

51.2

20.2

22.6

2.40

0.90

Provide specific, complete and clear information about companies that need to recruit.

labor on demand

0.0

4.0

46.2

49.8

0.0

2.54

0.57

Be fully informed about the training facility

creation, tuition, study time

0.0

11.2

36.7

37.6

14.5

2.45

0.87

DTBC

2.62

0.80

Maybe you are interested!

(Source: Actual survey data).

The overall average result of the assessment of the ability to use support services on vocational training, employment, and livelihood for migrant workers in the KTPNN area is 2.62, showing that the ability to access vocational training and employment support services of migrant workers in the KTPNN area is at an average level. In general, social services have been provided by labor, war invalids and social affairs officers or union officers for migrant workers mainly in the field of social security and especially social assistance is the most popular in the surveyed areas. The number of migrant workers using social services is still small, the types of social services are not really diverse and the supply network is not complete, there are still many people who do not know about them, have not accessed them, or have a need but do not use them. The migrant workers in the KTPNN area are looking forward to receiving support from local employment programs and policies. However, the demand for services from the people is high but resources are limited. Therefore, there needs to be active participation of non-public facilities to provide social services to people in general and workers in the public sector in particular who have the need to use them.

Research by Le Phuong Hoa (2021) has shown that due to socio-demographic characteristics as well as livelihood characteristics, female migrant workers working in the informal sector are the most at risk and vulnerable. Over 80% of workers in the informal sector, most of whom are in disadvantaged groups, are unemployed because businesses have to temporarily suspend operations to implement social distancing regulations [59]. The implementation of social distancing has impacted this group of workers.

The most vulnerable in the labor market, including migrant workers working in the KTPNN sector, are most severely affected by the Covid pandemic and have completely lost their source of income to support themselves and their families. This shows that migrant workers are in great need of vocational training, employment and livelihood support services to help them find stable jobs in their immigration areas.

One of the activities that the workers highly agree with is participating in career guidance, vocational training and job creation support with DTB = 3.10. Over the past years, the work of career guidance support, introduction, provision of suitable reputable vocational training facilities or related policies and programs on the labor market for workers in general and workers in particular has been implemented by localities. In addition, introducing workers who need to find jobs to businesses, organizations and individuals who need to recruit workers. On the contrary, according to the workers' assessment, the ability to access preferential credit loans and livelihood support is still limited with DTB = 2.40, only 6% of opinions agree and up to 51.2% of opinions said they are hesitant about this assessment.

In reality, migrant workers still face many difficulties in accessing employment policies, especially preferential loans to create jobs, production and business, and policies in local poverty reduction programs. Because they do not meet the basic conditions for loans and the review process and procedures based on their residential status. On the other hand, due to the unstable nature of their jobs and their frequent relocation, it is difficult for them to access preferential loan programs in the locality.

Qualitative research results also show that migrant workers in the KTPNN sector have difficulty accessing preferential loan programs from local poverty reduction programs. Due to the unstable nature of their jobs, their income is low, their unemployment rate is high, and they are often excluded from poverty reduction programs or job creation loans in the locality. A migrant worker shared: “ I have been working here for nearly 10 years, but I do not have a household registration. I want to borrow preferential loans for my family to start a small business, but it is very difficult to get a loan because the loan procedures are based on household registration status, and we do not have a household registration, so how can we borrow… ” (female migrant worker, Binh Tan district).

The system of new vocational training policies and projects has changed a lot and partly meets the needs of the labor force in the KTPNN sector. However, the new employment policy focuses on the poor, but up to now, there has been no specific policy for the labor force in the KTPNN sector and they have been excluded from employment programs and policies in the national target program for poverty reduction in the locality. The research results of some previous works have also shown that the labor force faces many typical difficulties such as: access to jobs, vocational training, loans for job creation,

production development, ... even unable to access loan capital. The number of unemployed workers who receive job search advice through employment service facilities is also very low, accounting for 5.07% of the total number of unemployed workers looking for work [97].

Qualitative research data also shows that it is really difficult for migrant workers to access preferential loans. However, in some localities with support programs and projects, migrant workers still have access to loans, but the number of supported workers is not much. Each program and project has its own vision and mission and has criteria for selecting supported subjects. For the E&D project accompanying families to intervene according to the family social work method with vulnerable populations implemented in District 8, the subjects of assistance are individuals/families of migrant workers or vulnerable subjects who improve their capacity by utilizing resources in their social system and resources available outside the community so that they can solve their own problems. The employee said: “ Before, I was very poor, no one gave me money to borrow, my job was unstable, now I am like this thanks to the E&D project supporting my livelihood with capital to sell bread, thanks to knowing how to manage my business, I have more and more customers and I have escaped poverty” (Female employee, 38 years old, District 8). In the current context, the resources to support these programs and services from the state are limited, so social workers need to pay attention to mobilizing resources from outside the community and other social organizations to support employees to access social services to solve the problem more effectively. However, these programs and projects are not implemented in many areas, so only a few employees can access them.

In general, the implementation of labor market policies to support workers, especially vulnerable workers in the industrial park sector, is still ineffective. Some government intervention policies are still lacking and inappropriate, and implementation resources are limited, so the coverage of beneficiaries is still narrow. Vocational training policies often focus on vocational training and providing general employment information without taking into account soft skills training in work and society so that workers in the industrial park sector can adapt to the new urban environment. For workers in the industrial park sector who have professional qualifications and skills, they still face many difficulties in using job search support services in urban areas because they lack job search skills and networking skills, so they do not have many good opportunities to find high-income and stable jobs. In addition, some workers do not want to learn a trade but only want to work to earn income immediately.

On the other hand, vocational training fields are not diverse, rich and not linked to the practical needs of society.

3.2.2.5. Services to support access to public education

The majority of migrant workers in Ho Chi Minh City are young, unmarried people with a certain level of education and often concentrate in areas with export processing zones, industrial parks or areas with many households doing business or garment processing to find jobs more easily. In addition, migrant worker households in the city often do not bring their children with them. Because they are under a lot of pressure in terms of daily expenses, education, health care, etc., they have to work overtime and do not have much free time to take care of and teach their children.

Temporary living conditions, unstable employment, low income, many families of migrant workers in the KTPNN area do not have much time to care for their children and the living environment adversely affects the access to public education of children in migrant workers' families. The overall GPA on the assessment of the ability to use public education support services for children in migrant workers' families in the KTPNN area, with GPA = 2.07, shows that the ability to use this service of families with children going to school is very low. The use of public education support services by this group of residents is influenced by many other factors that they themselves cannot fully anticipate the difficulties even though they want themselves and their children to develop.

In the current context, some districts in Ho Chi Minh City are undergoing urbanization, attracting migrant workers to come here to study, work and live, and the infrastructure is overloaded, making it difficult for children of migrant workers' families to access the public school system. There is much evidence that children who follow their parents to Ho Chi Minh City and other large cities have more difficulty accessing public education than local children. Mr. P.D.P, Hiep Thanh Ward, District 12, said: " In the countryside, there is no land, so we have to go to the city. I know it is hard and disadvantaged in many ways, but anyway, it is easy to find a job. I have two children without a household registration, so I cannot apply for them to go to public schools. But I still have to pay all local public service fees ..." (Male migrant worker, 37 years old, District 12)

Table 3.12. Ability to use educational support services of children in families of migrant workers in the non-state economic sector

Ability to use public education services for children of foreign workers

Answer options (%)

DTBC

DLC

Very convenient

Favorable

Normal

Unfavorable

Absolutely not.

favorable

Create conditions for children of migrant workers

public school

0.0

16.7

0.0

28.1

55.2

1.78

1.08

Tuition exemption, reduction, and support

for children of NLĐNC

0.0

41.7

34.8

17.6

2.36

0.84

Support books, school supplies,

bike to school

0.0

24.5

57.9

17.6

2.07

0.65

DTBC

2.07

0.86

(Source: Actual survey data).

Access to public education remains a difficult path for a group of workers in the KTPNN sector; education is considered the most important strategic path for their children to have an easier time in social advancement. However, access to education is not always available to everyone. Factors such as economic stratification, income, and even residence status create different possibilities for individuals to access educational resources. One of the support activities that workers in the KTPNN sector rated as having the lowest accessibility was support for their children to attend public schools, with a mean of 1.78. The results of this study are quite similar to the Summary Report of Oxfam in Vietnam (2015), children in immigrant families in Ho Chi Minh City aged 6-14 years old with parents who are migrant workers living in the destination do not go to school, accounting for 21.2% and only 7.7% of migrant children go to public kindergartens [92, p.32].

According to the regulations of the Vietnamese State, there is no distinction between people with different types of residence registration in sending their children to school at all levels. However, in reality, the group of children of the laborers in the KTPNN area who do not have a household registration in the city face many difficulties in applying for their children to study at public schools, because according to the priority level, children with permanent residence registration (KT1), long-term temporary residence (KT3), with household registration in another district living here in the same city (KT2) and finally short-term temporary residence (KT4). Therefore, if the school has a quota, they will be admitted, otherwise if the school has no quota, children with short-term temporary residence will not be admitted.

Qualitative research data also shows that, due to the lack of permanent residence registration, many families of migrant workers in the KTPNN area have encountered countless difficulties. Although they have contributed a lot to the City, their children have had difficulty accessing public education, especially in areas with many migrant workers. A migrant worker in the KTPNN area said: “ Wherever I go, they ask if I have a household registration. Without a KT3, I cannot go to school. I have brought my children's records to several primary schools in the area but no one has accepted them. They said that the number of students in this age group has increased dramatically this year, so the facilities are not enough to meet the needs, and priority must be given to children with a household registration first, KT3, while children with KT4 have quotas to be accepted. In the end, I had to apply for my children to go to a non-public school. The cost is higher, but I have to accept it. Can I just leave my children at home…” (Male migrant worker, 26 years old, Binh Tan district).

Currently, the education and training system is "opened" to decentralize more to the private sector, and the participation of "non-public" organizations is increasing at all levels. "Non-public" schools operate mainly on the basis of paying for students' tuition fees. The increase in this type of school has opened up many opportunities and met the learning needs of the people. However, it also creates great pressure on the children of workers in the KTPNN area without permanent residence. Because, the actual cost of studying there is 3 times higher than in public schools. Although in theory, primary education is free, in reality, families often have to spend a significant amount of their total income on their children's education, especially when the family has children studying at a boarding school, this expense is also relatively large. At the same time, families must contribute to construction fees, sanitation fees, the Parents' Association fund, insurance fees, etc. These costs often fall at the beginning of the school year and there is almost no opportunity for parents to pay them in installments during the year. This problem leads to the dropout of some students in the survey sample from families of migrant workers in the KTPNN area who do not have permanent residence in the City. This situation not only causes negative impacts on the quality of education when gifted students may be overlooked or not nurtured, but also makes immigrant students feel inferior from childhood when they feel that they are "second-class" or "outsiders".

In addition to the reason of not having a permanent residence registration, children in the families of foreign workers in the KTPNN area do not go to public schools for many other reasons. One of the reasons given by the foreign workers is that when their children are in kindergarten, they go to non-public schools, which makes it more convenient for parents to pick up their children. Because of the nature of the work of foreign workers in the KTPNN area, working hours are very strict, often requiring overtime.

shift to improve their income. They also said that sending their children to public schools costs less and is more secure than private schools, especially for family-based childcare groups, but they cannot do otherwise. Because public schools usually pick up children very early, during office hours, do not accept children under 6 months old and do not take care of children after hours. Therefore, they have to choose to send their children near their workplace or near their boarding house for convenience in picking up and dropping off their children, which is the top criterion chosen by many workers in the KTPNN area. Through in-depth interviews, workers said: "For workers like us, due to the nature of our work, it is very difficult to pick up our children on time. Many families cannot send their children to public schools. Not everyone can send their children back to their hometown for grandparents to raise. For convenience, we send our children to non-public daycare centers. Pick-up times are very flexible and we can leave early or come back late. There are many days when we need to deliver urgent goods and I work overtime until 7am to come home and pick up my children right away" (female employee, Binh Tan district).

The results of this study show the difficulties and shortcomings in organizing care and education for children of workers in general and workers in the industrial parks and export processing zones in particular. Social workers need to play the role of advocacy/policy advocacy to influence managers, policy makers, businesses and the social community to continue building and developing kindergartens in industrial parks and export processing zones to solve current problems. From there, it will contribute significantly to reducing the burden on workers and creating favorable conditions for children of preschool age to go to school. It can be said that when sending their children to reputable and quality preschools, workers in the industrial parks and export processing zones will be wholeheartedly devoted to their work, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of labor and production.

In addition to supporting children of migrant workers in the KTPNN area to study in public schools, support for giving bicycles to go to school and school supplies to students in difficult circumstances has also been implemented in the surveyed areas. However, this support is still very limited. The level of agreement with the statement of migrant workers in the KTPNN area that migrant children are supported with books, school supplies, and bicycles to go to school like children with permanent residence in the locality is very low with DTB = 2.07. In recent years, local authorities have coordinated with associations, departments, organizations, and fronts to mobilize resources to give bicycles to poor migrant children in some boarding houses in the area, hoping to share some of the difficulties with children in difficult circumstances to continue going to school. Giving gifts to children is not simply giving meaningful living items, but also promoting the spirit of mutual love and support, the Vietnamese tradition of "helping each other", adding warmth, lighting up faith for students in difficult circumstances, and adding hope.

into life, believing that somewhere there is still humanity to continue to strive in studying to become useful people for family and society. On the other hand, activities to support exemption, reduction, and support of tuition fees, books, and school supplies for children in difficult circumstances in the area continue to be of interest to the locality to create favorable conditions for children of workers in the KTPNN area to go to school. Therefore, mobilizing more or less resources will have a significant impact on the beneficiary group. However, localities consider the case of poor students and students in difficult circumstances as the top priority in assistance.

Currently, education has the potential to create opportunities for finding jobs and increasing household income, but the cost of education is a burden for poor migrant workers, hindering the mobility of a segment of the population. In the education sector, there is no official policy to limit the admission of immigrant students. However, the lack of schools is a great pressure that forces public schools to make selections for admission; and therefore, household registration is used as a criterion for consideration. As a result, children of migrant workers' families in the KTPNN area (especially KT4) are the most disadvantaged because they are considered to have no stable accommodation and are not considered. In addition to the economic difficulties of KT4 households, the rate of children at risk of dropping out of school is very high. If the policy prioritizes " giving children the best for a bright tomorrow ", but the administrative mechanism creates social isolation for the children themselves and hinders the social mobility of individuals in the future.

In general, social services supporting access to public education in the community only solve financial difficulties and access to public schools, while psychological difficulties; life skills; the ability to cope with and solve problems in relationships with family, school, teachers, friends and other relationships; skills to prevent school violence; effective learning methods, career orientation as in the spirit of Circular 31/2017/TT-BGDĐT, dated December 18, 2017 of the Ministry of Education and Training have not been implemented. In the coming time, when the policy comes into effect, social services will be deployed and effectively supported for workers in the KTPNN sector [12].

3.3. Some factors affecting social work services for migrant workers in the non-state economic sector from the practice of Ho Chi Minh City

The non-state economic sector has contributed significantly to the country's socio-economic development as well as creating many jobs for workers, especially during the recent period of economic fluctuations. However, social security programs and policies and

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