PM: Govt to recruit returning workers for development projects

The government will strive to find jobs for unemployed workers, especially those returning from Thailand because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh has said.
Thousands of migrant workers have returned to Laos after losing their jobs in Thailand due to the widespread virus outbreak, but now find themselves jobless.
Thailand has long been a popular destination for Lao job seekers, lured by higher wages and language similarities that enable communication and understanding between people of both nationalities. However, the devasting impacts of Covid-19 have affected many Lao workers.
Addressing local media online recently, PM Phankham said the government will hire workers for development projects in Laos, including the Laos-China Railway.
Authorities and the project developer are currently recruiting a number of people to work on the railway ahead of its planned opening in December.
The premier said the Chinese side is helping to train Lao workers so they can be employed on the railway.
State authorities need to work with the managers of development projects and businesses in Laos to determine their recruitment needs and notify job seekers, he added.
“We have possible solutions. There are many factories in Laos,” he told reporters.
The Covid-19 outbreak has severely affected employment and businesses as well as the economy as a whole.
The government has already suggested a number of measures to mitigate the effects of the virus outbreak on businesses, workers and the general public.
These measures, spelled out in Notice No. 532 issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on May 20, 2021, included waiving salary tax for state and private employees, cancelling income tax for micro enterprises, and revoking tariffs, taxes and fees on goods imported for use in the response to the pandemic.
Other measures introduced to ease financial hardship include postponing the payment of taxes by tour and hospitality business operators and postponing the compulsory payment of social welfare contributions by businesses. Some of these measures were valid for just three months.
Asked if the government would issue additional policies or measures to ease the burden on businesses, the prime minister said the government is referring to the measures specified in Notice No. 532 and previous notices for the time being.

By Times Reporters
  (Latest Update October 19, 2021)