Jobs, Development, and Future

Though not as many elders live with their families as before anymore, they still receive financial support from their families since they tend to be sickly or weak. For those who move back to rural areas, they cannot simply live return to their old lifestyle of farming and such. Thus, the sources of income, availability of jobs in the future, and progress in the country will reflect the assistance elders receive from their children or immediate family.

Vietnam is expected to create 1.6 million jobs in 2011. In April, companies in Ho Chi Minh City needed about 87,000 new employees for the second quarter because of new projects and orders. Also recently, a new project was announced to plant 5 million hectares nationwide. Such development stems from the Deputy Prime Minister’s belief that “raising people’s awareness of forest protection and development is important for national development.” Whatever benefits it may bring to the nation, for one thing, it will give jobs to thousands of people. As these people have money to care for themselves and their children, they can extend their aid to their old parents. It also means that those healthy, independent elders may have jobs to care for themselves. Many of these elders grew up in an agriculture economy, being used to planting for the seasons, so they will have the experience and expertise that make them suitable for the job, assuming that they won’t be discriminated against because of their age.

To simply put it, more jobs offered to the citizens simply make it easy on the later generations to care for the older generations or for the older generations to care for themselves.