Tiếng Việt
On December 1, 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Business Coalition for Women’s Empowerment – VBCWE organized the Forum “ESG – Employment opportunities and challenges for people with disabilities” on International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3, 2023).
This is the first time a forum addressing employment opportunities for people with disabilities associated with the context and trends of sustainable development of ESG has been held in Vietnam. The forum is chaired by VBCWE with the companionship of the Center for Research and Development of People with Disabilities (DRD), Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Business Association (HAWEE) and Red Star Businessmen Club; With the sponsorship of PV OIL, Dai Dung, and Kangaroo, the event took place with many emotional levels.
Representatives of Red Star Business Club attending the program are:
Ms. Cao Ngoc Dung, Advisor, Chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City Women’s Business Association HAWEE, Chairwoman of PNJ Group;
Mr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, Vice President, Chairman of Alphanam Group;
Ms. Ha Thu Thanh, Vice President, President of VBCWE, President of Deloitte Vietnam;
Mr. Cao Hoai Duong – Vice Chairman, Chairman of Vietnam Oil Corporation PVOIL;
Mr. Trinh Tien Dung – Chairman of DaiDung Corporation;
Ms. Luu Thi Thanh Mau – Vice President of Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association, CEO of Phuc Khang Group;
Representatives from member businesses: Kangaroo, An Cuong Wood, Binh Duong Minerals and Construction,…
According to 2021 data, there are 1.3 billion people with disabilities (PWDs) in the world, accounting for 16% of the world’s population, but only 10% of them can find jobs. According to statistics from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam currently has more than 7 million people with disabilities. Of these, only 31.7% have moderate disabilities and 7.8% have severe disabilities. Compared with 10 different countries, the rate of ordinary people having jobs is 2-4 times higher than that of PWDs. The number of people with disabilities aged 16 years and older without expertise accounts for 93.4%, of which only 6.5% have a vocational certificate or higher.
Shared by Vietnam’s first wheelchair doctor – Ms. Vo Thi Hoang Yen, the story of employment for people with disabilities was talked about 20-25 years ago and today we still have to talk about this topic. What is the reason? “First of all, it’s not really determined. Next, there is too little information about people with disabilities, and we do not really understand what people with disabilities need or want. People keep calling for people with disabilities to confidently integrate, but it will never be possible when they have no job opportunities and have to depend on others. However, in reality, people with disabilities are a small community within a large community, with all the characteristics of a community, the only difference is that they have certain functional disabilities. With the joint efforts of member businesses of the Red Star Business Club, people with disabilities have gradually had more job opportunities. I hope that businesses should accompany organizations with disabilities because no one understands people with disabilities better than people with disabilities themselves.”
As a person with a disability, Ms. Dao Thu Huong – officer of the Disability Inclusion Program (United Nations) has many opportunities to access information, saying that the labor market is now more open, especially when the Government The government has green growth policies to support conditions and employment for people with disabilities; Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) criteria of today’s businesses also open up many opportunities for PWDs.
Citing evidence from practice, Ms. Huong believes that it is not necessary to create separate jobs for people with disabilities, but just put them in the right position and create conditions for them to contribute, then they will shine. This also demonstrates the business’s responsibility to society and is a strategic advantage, thereby helping businesses create sustainable values. It’s not the nice thing to do, but the right thing to do.
In the discussion session “Creating ecosystem and career opportunities for people with disabilities”, Ms. Truong Thi Hong Nhung – CEO of Halicare affirmed: “Disability is a gift, a source of inspiration for everyone”. She believes that people with disabilities need to develop their own strong internal strength. Personnel with disabilities also need the same working skills as other workers: hard skills, soft skills and most importantly, the mindset to overcome fear.
Interacting with everyone, Hieu is straightforward, the most important thing that people haven’t talked about is making money. People with disabilities also need to make money like other people, need capital, need fishing rods to be independent, support themselves and help those around them. As part of the forum, the Red Star Business Club and PVOIL contributed a donation of VND 100 million to the Fund for Employment Development for People with Disabilities – VBCWE.
Among the strategic goals of DaiDung Corporation, we have built an ecosystem that creates many sustainable development values (ESG). For many years, DaiDung has accompanied associations to create many programs for the disadvantaged and orphans, demonstrated through scholarship funds to promote education and funds for the poor. In addition, we constantly improve and enhance professional training and job sponsorship programs for people with disabilities to increase their confidence and spread this love more widely to the community. shared by Mr. Trinh Tien Dung – General Director of DaiDung Corporation at the forum.
DaiDung Corporation donated 50 million VND to train disabled female students through the organization DRD (Deep Life) of Dr. Vo Hoang Yen.
At the same time, 9 organizations and individuals including VBCWE, HAWEE, DRD, PVOIL, Alphanam, Dai Dung, Kangaroo, PNJ, and Deloitte have committed to working together to create a job ecosystem for PWDs including: Skills Training development, Vocational Skills Training, Job Opportunity Creation and Financial Mobilization.
