Hospitality Industry Creates Millions of Jobs Each Year

By the end of 2009, Hanoi had nine 5-star hotels, six 4-star hotels, 21 3-star hotels, 100 2-star hotels and 65 one-star hotels. There is a considerate rise in both accommodations and the hospitality workforce in the capital city.

The development of smokeless industry – a key economic sector – is creating millions of jobs each year, helping to lift employment rate and improve living standards of the people.

More indirect work

According to the Vietnam Tourism Human Resources Development Programme until 2015, the tourism sector will have 503,202 direct workers. In 2010 alone, it will create 1.4 million direct and indirect jobs. Earlier, in 2009, it generated approximately 450,000 direct jobs and nearly 1 million indirect jobs.

The number of travellers to Vietnam has increased steadily in the past years and this requires tourism companies and related sectors such as transport, environment and service to increase staffs correspondingly. The transportation sector is the first to benefit from tourism. About 70 % – 80 % of foreign visitors to Vietnam arrive in Vietnam by air, helping the aviation industry make a robust growth generate thousands of jobs each year. Currently, Vietnam has nearly 50 international airlines, compared with about 20 in 2000.

Vietnam Airlines said, with over 70 % of international arrivals to Vietnam being tourists, the tourism industry is playing a key role in its business planning, including human resources planning.

Increase in direct jobs

Most international tourists to Vietnam tour Hanoi and HCM City – the two largest cities in the Southeast Asian nation. Hanoi reportedly welcomed 1.1 million international visitors in 2008 and 1.3 million visitors in 2009, compared with a mere 300,000 in 1995. The number of domestic tourists to the capital city is also growing steadily, thus encouraging hoteliers expand accommodation establishments rapidly.

By the end of 2009, Hanoi had nine 5-star hotels, six 4-star hotels, 21 3-star hotels, 100 2-star hotels and 65 1-star hotels. In couple with the rise in accommodations is the increase in the hospitality workforce in the capital city.

In 2008, the tourism sector of the smaller Hanoi had over 40,000 direct workers and 120,000 indirect workers. The presence of many new tourist attractions and companies will continue to create more direct and indirect jobs in the coming time.

Mr Bui Xuan Nhat, former Deputy Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said: The tourism industry has many impacts: direct, indirect and spill-over. Tourism has generated a large number of jobs for people, helping reduce unemployment rate. Tourism also helps many villages recover and develop cottage industries.”

To ensure the sustainable tourism development, attract more visitors to Vietnam and create more jobs for people, the tourism workforce needs to be expanded and have a higher quality. At present, the country has some 40 universities with tourism or tourism-related faculties, 43 tourism vocational schools and many tourism vocational centres.

However, most tourism training establishments are located in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hue. Many localities with tourism potentials do not have tourism training schools, however. Thus, Vietnam needs to allocate tourism training institutions more appropriately in the future.

Tags: Vietnam Hospitality Industry