foreign languages in the labor market of vietnam demands, supplies and recommendation

Chính sách ngôn ngữ và ảnh hưởng của nó tới sự hội nhập và sự phát triển của thị trường lao động Việt Nam

foreign languages

in the labor market of vietnam

demands, supplies and recommendation

Assoc Prof Dr Phan Van Que, Hanoi Open University

Since 1986, with the open door policy, Vietnam has been integratingsuccessfully into the world community and at the same time into the world

market Due to economic, political and social changes, there are

definitely new and growing linguistic needs and demands The move

from an agricultural society to becoming a society where services are thedominant activity, and the change toward a knowledge-based society,

together with increasing internationalisation leads to the need to have a

careful and closer look at foreign languages policies in connection withthe labour market

Establishing future training needs of the labour market in developingcountries is a difficult task that has faced manpower analysts and educationalplanners elsewhere There is no easy solution because no one can forecastthe future and, therefore, what labour demands are likely anymore than one

can future economic growth rates However, there is always a body of

facts, evidence and experience available for policy makers, includingforeign language policy makers.

Foreign language policies thus are an integral part of a bigger task:

manpower planning All foreign languages have to speak the language of

the market, that is the language of demand and supply Manpower

planning is largely concerned with labour supply Thus it is interested in

such questions as how many people are coming into the labour market, what

are their education and training levels etc It is largely concerned indetermining what training needs there are so that the labour supply canbe shaped to meet the demands of the economy

Manpower planning is also concerned with supply policies and, in

particular, implications for education and training Inevitably, this has to

concentrate on education and training policies, among them foreignlanguages policies

This is a huge task, then it is not only confined to the Ministry of Labouror Ministry of Education and Training, it is also concerned with human

resource planning in the Ministry of Planning or Ministry of Finance It

concerns the whole society and it needs concerted actions.

Addressing the issue, this paper will first have a broad look at the

functions of foreign languages in the international market Then it will

attempt to produce a look closer at the demand for foreign languages in

the context of Vietnam After that, it will attempt to present the situationof foreign languages learning and teaching in Vietnam and existingforeign language policies Finally and also most importantly, it will try to

make some recommendations concerning foreign language policies in a

larger context of manpower planning

Foreign languages in the international market

In the international market, language skills, and intercultural skillswhich come along with them, do not form a sector, but they are

essential skills across all industrial or commercial activities

2008) Language and intercultural skills also form an important or anadvantageous component of the overall skills make-up of a wide range ofoccupations and the language service industry adds value to all sectors Inthis regard they are cross-sector skills.

Employers worldwide see an increasing need for language skills, due toglobalization, business development and the need to be able to competeeffectively It can be difficult to quantify the benefits of investing in

language skills, but most employers feel that it makes a positive difference

to their organization, whether they have use of those skills in theimmediate future or not (Mulatero, F & Riela, S, 2006).

Around the world, many businesses are now reviewing recruitmentprocedures to bring in language skills when recruiting new staff In some

businesses, language skills are ranked more highly than technical0

skills ” (CILT, 2008) Retention is also an issue, and premiums are oftenpaid for language skills When it comes to exporting to non English speaking

countries, the importance of language is readily accepted as crucial to

export success (Mulatero, F & Riela, S, 2006).

One important factor of the labor market is labour mobility A barrier tothis is language Living and working in another member state requires aperson to have at least a working knowledge of the local language forsuccessful integration into the local community Take the European Union as

an example, in spite of an increasing number of EU citizens who are

multi-lingual, language is still one of the most significant barriers to labour0

mobility” (Shah, C & Long, M, 2007).

Realising this problem, EC (2006) confirms that early foreign-0

language acquisition is the forerunner to mobility ” and a labor force0

with practical language and intercultural skills enables Europeanenterprises to compete effectively in the global market-place.”

Here we come to another question: which foreign languages amidst

hundreds of languages in the global market? Undoubtedly, English has

been enjoying the lion share in the world market in general and in theinternational labor market in particular, but many, including the native

English speaking countries now are realizing that "English is not enough"

(EC, 2007)

Surveys have demonstrated that UK business performs relativelypoorly compared to their European counterparts in respect of languagestrategies, acquiring staff with language skills, employing external language

professionals… A range of such latent skills gaps and shortages in0

relation to foreign languages are interfering with business transactionsand leading to loss of business” (CILT, 2008) It was suggested that UKorganizations are losing their competitive edge, and often only operatein English speaking nations due to the language barrier.

Another example of the importance of foreign languages can be seen in

the United States, the hot pot of different languages and cultures The US

State Department in particular has a large demand for foreign languageability Annually, it provides more than 450 courses, includinginstruction in 70 languages, to more than 50,000 employees from theDepartment, over 40 other government agencies, and the U.S military

(State.gov)

Given the importance of foreign language in the labor market,Recommendation of the European Parliament on key competences for

lifelong learning has identified communication in foreign languages as

one of the eight key competences and suggest that learning curriculashould include the study of at least one foreign language of0

international use…to prepare for international employment andto prepare for international employment andmulticultural working environments” (EC, 2009)

Concerning education policy in terms of foreign languages, ourdiscussion also reveals what the 2004 APEC report calls the emerging

regional consensus that professional development of FL [foreign0

language] teachers is one of the most important and challenging issuesthat all economies face ” (APEC, 2004).

In this context, we can not overlook the very local impact of language

policies on access to economic resources, to policy-making institutions,0

and to political power ” that Tollefson (1991, p.142) has described In

transforming language use and language education into commodities fora global marketplace, we have to take a particular stance with regard towhat Pennycook (1994) calls the cultural, political, social and economic0

implications of language programs ”

Demands for foreign languages in the Vietnameselabor market

As we know, in 1986, Vietnam started its doi moi policy to integrate into

the world community As the country developed, the situation started

changing and foreign languages began to be more necessary The situation

in Vietnam is more or less similar to those in many countries, especiallyin the Asia Pacific region A 2002 UNESCO report on curriculumchanges in the Asia Pacific region notes that: Facing the challenges of0

globalization trends, curriculum of countries in the region have paidspecial attention to foreign languages, first and foremost it is English ”

As English has become the most common medium for communication ina global world, it is the language that provides job opportunities, access tohigher education and a broader flow of information, as well as facilitates

diplomatic discussions and business negotiations Just the same, a focus on

the teaching of English language appears to have becomeinstitutionalized in curriculum thinking throughout the Asia Pacificregion, as, in most language policy statements, the ability to speakEnglish has been linked to knowledge and skills necessary for economic

competition, rendering it as a type of human capital 0 ” (PIFS, 2004).

English will become more important as a means of internal cohesiveness0

and unity and external participation in the modern global community ”

(PIFS, 2004)

Currently in Vietnam, up to 97.5% of students chose to learn English,

the total of students who choose to learn the other three languagesaccounts for only less than 3% (moet.gov.vn) This situation in Vietnam is

in many ways similar to that in many parts of the world, including EU,where 90% of all pupils in secondary education choose to learn English(CEC, 2007)

One explanation for the fact is that English competency is a primequalification for those who wish to have better chances to study A largenumber of Vietnamese students have chosen to go to English-speakingcountries for their further studies According to a report by the Institute of

International Education (iie.org), by the end of 2008, there were around

10,000 Vietnamese students in Australia, 8,000 in Britain, 6000 inAmerica The numbers are increasing rapidly; for example, the numberof Vietnamese undergraduates and graduates who are pursuing theirstudies in Australia has increased to 10,000 (vietnamnet.vn) Most of the

countries which receive Vietnamese students require these students have an

IELTS or a TOEFL score of a desirable level In fact, according to

statistics of the IELTS agency, in 2007, Vietnam was among the 20countries and territories with the biggest number of students who sat atIELTS tests

Another reason is economic development Take tourism as an example:the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam has been increasing rapidly, andthe international language for communication is naturally English This leads

to the fact the Tourism Bureau of Vietnam has revealed: at present, 32%

of the labor force in the tourism industry can speak English while only3.2% speak some French and 3.6% speak some Chinese

(vietnamtourism.gov.vn)

However, other reasons and facts have recently made some other

languages more important than before The learning of other languages is

no doubt of direct relevance to economic growth, competitiveness,

employability, external relations and foreign affairs; education and training;higher education, science and research; culture; social rights; regional andlocal development; tourism; among other things

As we can see, on the one hand, English learning and teaching has

helped Vietnam in the new era of integration On the other hand, thelearning and teaching of English at the expense of other languages isposing serious issues.

We should first look at diplomatic relations At the present time, Vietnamhas established diplomatic relations with almost all countries and territories.

To strengthen relationships, promote trade and cultural exchanges,among other affairs, with countries other than English-speakingcountries, learning their languages is obviously necessary.

Tourism poses another set of problems Vietnam is now becoming

known as one of the safest and most attractive for international tourists,

many do not come from English-speaking countries It is of course

advisable for the Vietnamese government to improve the languagepicture in tourism Visitors to Vietnam are mainly from China, Taiwan,

Korea, Japan, France, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia (more than 100,000visitors each), Germany, Russia (around 50,000 visitors each) The numberof visitors, especially from traditional markets of Vietnam, where English isnot an official language, has been increasing year on year In 2007, thenumber of tourists from France increased by 42% (with 183,000 turns ofpeople), from Germany by 32%, from Sweden 60%, Finland 46% Themarket of North-Eastern Asia, which includes China, Japan, Korea andTaiwan, is still the most important, with the visitors to Vietnam from thesecountries in 2007 totalling 1,200,000, accounting for 30% of the total

number for the year ((vietnamtourism.gov.vn) To ensure a continuous and

sustainable development of tourism, one of the most urgent need forVietnam is to improve language abilities of tourism staff

Another important aspect that should also be taken intoconsideration is the rapid increase in the labor export Since 2000,Vietnam has sent 70,000 workers abroad yearly Most of them are

working in countries where English is not the mother tongue of the citizens

or not an official language of the state At the present time, there are more

than 400,000 Vietnamese workers in 40 countries and territories.Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea and Japan are among the biggest markets forthe Vietnamese workers with the total of Vietnamese currently workingin these countries are 100,000, 90,000, 46,000 and 19,000 respectively.

Another market of great potential for the Vietnamese workers is the

Middle-East At present, the number of Vietnamese workers in Qatar is 7000

and in UAE 3000 These numbers will increase drastically along with the

efforts of the Ministry of Labor, the Injured and Social Affairs (Molisa) of

Vietnam to expand these markets Molisa has signed an agreement with

Qatar to send 100,000 Vietnamese workers to this country in the period2008-2010 Molisa is also negotiating with other countries in the region such

as Oman, Bahrain, and Libya In the world market, exporting labor is a typeof exporting service with a special kind of commodity, that is labor Theprice for this commodity depends on many factors, among them is the ability

to communicate with the host people As a matter of fact, countries who

accept Vietnamese laborers are now starting to demand that the guest‘guest

workers know their languages.’ know their languages In August 2005, the Korean Ministry ofLabor officially demanded that any Vietnamese citizen who wishes to go toSouth Korea for working has to pass an exam to identify their Korean

language competence (molisa.gov.vn) Teaching Korean to the 10,000

people who have registered to go to South Korea for working is nowposing a great difficulty, mainly because it is not easy to find teachers ofKorean Recently, countries in the Arab block have signed an agreementto use only Arabic for economic and diplomatic purposes (mofa.gov.vn).

This will create great demands for languages other than English in Vietnam.The problem will be greater with the ever-increasing number of Vietnamesecitizens going abroad to find job, and when the main markets for Vietnameselaborers like Taiwan or Japan are likely to introduce the same languagerequirements.

For the Vietnamese people who wish to go abroad for their study, one ofthe biggest problem is also language The Ministry of Education and

Training of Vietnam estimates that at the present time, there are about

60,000 Vietnamese students abroad, and many of them are not inEnglish speaking countries There are now 6,000 Vietnamese students in

China, 5,500 in Russia, 4,500 in France, 4,000 in Korea, 2,200 in Germany,1,600 in Japan

Another important set of facts that should be taken intoconsideration are those of trade between Vietnam and other countries,

and with Vietnam having become a WTO member, this is gaining a newsignificance A remarkable fact is that while English is the mother tongue ofsome important partners like England (export turnover of Vietnam to thismarket in 2008 was 1.3 billion US dollars), many other important partners ofVietnam like Germany (ET in 2008 was $US 1.85 billion), Holland (ET tothis market in 2008 was $US 900 billion), France (ET in 2008 was $US 800million) do not use English as an official language This may help tohighlight the demands for English as well as other less used languages As

language and intercultural skills were found to be relevant to success

the government of Vietnam The government has always been

emphasizing the need of an overall project for learning and teachingforeign languages, especially English At a regular governmental meeting

session in March, 2006, the Minister of Education and Training reported ona project for the period 2006-2015 (Resolution 04/2006/NQ-CP) So far, theproject has been modified several times and now, the Ministry of Educationand Training (MOET) is considering a new version of it for the period 2010-2020, which will call for an investment of $US 1 billion Many hope that thisproject will help Vietnamese people to be confident of foreign language

proficiency by 2020 A key point of this project is that English will be a

compulsory subject for pupils from the 3rd grade

This project requires a radical change in the learning and teaching foreign

languages system of Vietnam The amount of time assigned for English at

school will nearly double, from 700 hours to 1300 hours, and Englishwill be introduced in primary schools, at 3rd grade In primary schools

and secondary schools, children will have 4 hours of English a week In highschools, students will have 3 hours of English a week

As estimated by MOET, the number of English teachers needed will

double within the next 10 years More specifically, for primary schools

alone, MOET has to ensure that 9,100 English teachers will be added in theschool year 2008-2009, and later on, 16,600 for the school year 2010-2011,

11,600 for the school year 2015-2016 In the period 2008-2016, the total of

English teachers added will be 44,000 Currently, the total number ofEnglish teachers at schools nationwide is more than 60,000 people

On morning 13th, March 2008, MOET announced its proposal to make it

soon compulsory for all secondary and high schools in Vietnam to teach

at least one subject in English The Ministry of Education and Training

hopes this move, among other moves, will help to make the hope that by2020, most Vietnamese students will be fluent in English come true(vietbao.com)

MOET is now concentrating on training 2,000 English lecturers forFaculties of English at universities and colleges nationwide, and this is

considered as the first step toward the targets On morning 18th March, 2008,at a conference on Financial Mechanism of Funding Capital Construction ofUniversities and Colleges, the Vice Director of Financial Planning

Department of MOET Tran Duy Tao revealed that MOET is considering an

other sub-project for promoting English learning and teaching atuniversities and colleges nationwide up onto 2012 (tinmoi.vn)

Reactions to the project among intellectuals are varied While somestrongly agree with the proposals of MOET, others are worried about thefuture of the language picture Associate Professor Nguyen Loc, ViceDirector of the Educational Strategies and Programs Institute of Vietnamsays this is the only feasible project, given the financial shortage(tienphong.vn) Professor Bui Hien, member of the Linguistic Society of