Girls stitch items in a Vientiane factory.

Vocational training helps more than 50,000 people find jobs
              
The Vientiane Labour and Social Welfare Department has helped more than 50,000 people find employment over the the past five years tthrough enhanced job skills training.
The department’s attempts to provide a more highly trained workforce have paid off, exceeding the target and helping a large number of people to gain the skills needed to find jobs, a department official said.
Over the past five years, the department has prioritised skills development to meet the needs of today’s job market and has provided training for more than 50,000 people.
According to a draft report on the 9th five-year Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2021-2025 and the 10th five-year plan for 2026-2030 presented at the 8th Vientiane Party Congress, through coordination with various businesses, over 50,000 workers were trained, exceeding the 5-year target to train 32,000 people by 54.8 percent.
A job market information system was also developed, and a public employment service was set up, helping 57,107 people to find jobs.
In collaboration with recruitment agencies, over 1,130 workers were sent to South Korea for seasonal work and training was provided to job seekers before they were hired.
In addition, membership in the social security scheme was encouraged at 172 government agencies and businesses. The number of members increased by more than 2,200, surpassing the 5-year target of 1,300 by 71 percent.
While more workers have received assistance through membership in the Social Security System, the Covid pandemic severely impacted Laos’ finances and most workers were unable to claim unemployment benefits, whether for temporary or permanent job losses.
In other areas of development, a disaster fund was established, with two disaster response plans created for the capital, 18 for districts, and 240 for villages.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update September 18, 2025)