Netherlands and the International Labor Organization (ILO) will work on a project to address future skills needs in the garment sector of Vietnam. As a part of the two-year project, the ILO will support the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations in Vietnam to understand what skills the industry and its workers will need now and in future.

The project will focus on those at highest risk of losing their jobs as a result of the Covid crisis and increased automation and digitalization in industries. The project will apply lessons learn from similar ILO garment sector skills anticipation projects in the garment sector in Brazil, Ethiopia, Jordan and Peru and it will build on the achievements of past ILO skills development programs in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s textile and garment industry is key to the country’s growth and development. It employs about 2.7 million people, of which a vast majority, are women. However, the Covid crisis has hit the industry hard. In addition to factory closures and lost incomes, the pandemic has accelerated the drivers and megatrends that are changing textile and garment production. These include automation and digitalization as well as the introduction of greener and cleaner production to mitigate climate change.