From Gisela Staiger, BR The corona pandemic has made it difficult for many refugees to gain a foothold in the labor market. A current study by the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research (IAB) shows the reasons and reveals the dimensions of the problem: A comparison of December 2019 and 2020 shows that unemployment in the population as a whole rose by just one percentage point within one year . By contrast, unemployment among refugees rose by 2.7 percentage points.

Lockdown makes career entry difficult

Mariam Alashkar is one of those who suffered. The Syrian is a single parent and is looking for an apprenticeship in the medical field. In February 2020, the mother of a four-year-old daughter successfully completed her language course at B2 level. But the time shortly before the first lockdown was extremely bad for starting a career. She writes two applications a week, says Alashkar. The yield is sobering: So far, no one has responded to their letters. In her home country, the 33-year-old first worked in tourism, then as a journalist for a Syrian television station. Now she is further deepening her language skills in order to be fit for the German job market. But their path is still rocky. “I’m ambitious, I had a lot of dreams in Germany,” she says. “I thought: If I finish B2, I’ll find a job straight away, but then Corona came and destroyed everything I had planned.”

IAB study: stopping language courses jointly responsible

According to the IAB study, the pandemic-related suspension of language courses and qualifications in particular led to an above-average increase in unemployment among refugees. According to IAB migration expert Herbert Brücker, the institute had expected that without the pandemic, the employment rate of refugees would have risen by five to eight percentage points in 2020. In reality, however, the rate only increased by one percentage point. “In this respect, one can say that integration has been interrupted. This applies to both the training and the job market,” says Brücker.

Expert: The more time goes by, the worse it gets

For Brücker, Alashkar is a typical example of the current phenomenon among refugees in Germany: “This is precisely the group of people who would have had a very good chance of entering the job market in 2020 or 2021. And these opportunities were able to materialize through the Do not realize the pandemic. ” The longer people have to wait, the greater the risk that motivation and related qualifications such as language skills can be lost. And that makes the subsequent labor market integration more difficult. “In this respect, the pandemic is a particularly tragic event for the refugees.” Alashkar has been moving into Hartz IV for almost a year and a half. The Syrian hopes that the easing will also increase her chances. She has a childcare place for her daughter and could get started at any time. If there was an answer to your applications.

The installation of VssID – digital social insurance application helps employees closely monitor the process of paying – enjoying policies. The authorities have requested the Board of Directors of Hung Hau Agriculture Joint Stock Company to overcome the debt payment for social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance. By May 20, Hung Hau Agriculture Joint Stock Company had fully paid more than 2 billion VND of social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance debts for employees. From this incident, the Vietnam Social Security urged people and employees to actively install the VssID application to be able to monitor and supervise the process of participating and benefiting from the policy. In order to improve the efficiency of serving people and employees, Vietnam Social Security has just released an upgraded version of VssID application version 1.5.3 on the AppStore and Google Play app stores. The upgraded version allows users to register for electronic transactions with the social insurance agency on the VssID application and through the Public Service Portal (previously only through the Public Service Portal); integrate additional features to support lookup, scan QR codes of social insurance cards, citizen identification cards to automatically fill in the necessary information, instead of manually entering in the account registration information. In addition, the VssID version 1.5.3 application also adds the option to send the declaration Email, the “Invite VssID installation” utility, making it more convenient for users to register to use the account and invite you Friends and relatives use the application together. In particular, the new version of VssID application has added the online public service “Re-issuance of social insurance books without changing information” for individuals, bringing the total number of online public services provided on this application up. 4 services. Previously, 3 public services provided on VssID application were re-issuance of health insurance cards due to damage or loss; relocate to enjoy pensions and social insurance benefits; change the form of receipt or information of beneficiaries of social insurance. With obvious utilities, after 6 months of being put into use (from the end of November 2020 until now), the VssID – digital social insurance application has attracted more than 6.44 million downloads, installations, and registrations. Thereby, more than 5.6 million valid applications were approved, reaching 22.18% of the assigned target in 2021.

Illustration. From the beginning of May 2021 up to now, due to the large-scale outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, Ninh Binh province has announced to suspend the reception of guests at tourist sites and attractions in the province to prevent the epidemic. So 100% of boat drivers here become unemployed. Since the return of the Covid-19 epidemic, foreign tourists have not come to Vietnam for tourism, and domestic visitors have decreased. Most of the laborers working as boat drivers at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area (Ninh Binh) sometimes only get one trip a month. That situation made the boatmen “cry” because their income decreased due to the absence of passengers. A boatman at Trang An boat station said that since the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex came into operation, it has brought jobs and stable income for thousands of locals living around the heritage area. Trang An has long been a famous tourist destination of Ninh Binh, recognized by Unesco as a natural heritage and a world cultural heritage. The scenery here is made up of winding rivers flowing through limestone mountains, creating countless magical and mysterious natural caves that attract visitors. To explore Trang An, visitors will be sitting on a boat to admire the surrounding mountain nature. If in the past, there were cases in this tourist area, the whole family worked as a boat driver. Average income is 400,000-600,000 VND/day. Although the work is hard, in return for the high income, the family’s economy is getting better and better. Employees feel more secure, more attached to the job. But in the past two years, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, tourists have dropped sharply, so income is not enough to cover life. In particular, from the beginning of May, the resort temporarily stopped accepting guests, making the life of the already difficult ferrymen even more difficult. They have to find another job to earn their daily income. Similar to Trang An eco-tourism area, Tam Coc – Bich Dong is a familiar destination that tourists definitely cannot ignore when coming to Ninh Binh. Visiting Tam Coc, visitors will be sitting on a boat, down the poetic Ngo Dong river watching the overlapping mountains and iridescent golden rice fields. Ms. Chu Thi Mo, who works as a ferry driver in Tam Coc, confided: Before, there were 6 to 8 trips a month with many tourists, 200,000 VND each. On holidays and Tet, the number of trips increases much more. But since the Covid-19 epidemic, the absence of customers is considered a loss of revenue. Strictly following the direction of the province, to temporarily close to carry out epidemic prevention work, it is estimated that at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area (Ninh Binh), thousands of boatmen have to quit. Without customers, these people have to turn to other occupations to earn a living. According to statistics, at Trang An eco-tourism area and Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourist area, there are more than 3,000 people working as boat drivers. Most of them are locals. The boatmen here range in age from 18 to 60 years old. A longtime boat driver shared: “Without guests, many people are not interested in boating. They will look for jobs in garment companies, leather shoes, stone handicrafts, etc. to earn extra income. However, these companies only hire young people, and older people will not be recruited.” Thus, there will be a large number of people working as boatmen who “don’t know where to go”. According to a representative of Xuan Truong construction company, which invests and manages the two tourist resorts above, in order to reduce difficulties for workers, in 2020, the business has supported more than 3,000 ferry workers here every year. person 3 months salary. Currently, the enterprise is planning to continue to support these workers to help them overcome the immediate difficulties.

“When I was bored in the inn room, having to eat instant noodles and trying to find a new job, I accidentally watched a video about two girls’ trip to Hanoi in Hanoi. Desiring to go, wanting to fulfill a long-standing dream was suddenly more motivated. Checking the account, I did not think much more, took the motorcycle to the maintenance service, changed the oil, sent a message to my brother for the dashcam and left ”, Thanh Cong told Zing . Thanh Cong has a trip through Vietnam with a dog. 15 days through Vietnam The guy from Ha Long (Quang Ninh) recalled that his luggage was just a backpack with 4 clothes hastily tucked away, adding a phone charger, a raincoat and a few pairs of socks. “At that time, I just clicked my tongue, thinking that gasoline was cheap, eating was simple, there was no need to worry. In the pocket also brought a little more money saved before, so on the road “. Thanh Cong said the trip did not have any significant problems. He moved quite quickly, through each province, he stopped and visited famous places. Cong is surprised by the amazing beauty in each region. Thanh Cong said that the greatest joy in “youth trip” is having a four-legged friend. He recorded lovely images with his dog at many stops such as Bau Trang tourist area (Binh Thuan), My Son Sanctuary (Quang Nam), the coffee shop where Mat Boi film set (Hue) was located. … Special moments in Success’s Vietnam tour and puppy. This dog was also picked up by Cong in August 2019. “I heard a woman from nearby said it was a wandering dog, so I loved it so I put it in my backpack and went straight to work. Only came to the agency that it was not normal, the head was completely crooked to the side. After taking the dog to the vet, the doctor concluded that it was not sick or defective, could not find the cause. But I don’t mind, considering that the two of them have a good fortune, so they can keep it, and stay alone, so it’s more fun to have them. ” “Dogs have gone with me, sunbathing, teaming in the rain, walking and exploring many beautiful scenes on the roads across the country. Everything was quite fine, not to mention the two times the dog fell, due to the joy and excitement of going out, he jumped from the car. Luckily it was not seriously injured ”. Puppy has been picked up by Thanh Cong since 2019. After 15 days of traveling, Thanh Cong stopped in Ho Chi Minh City. Initially he planned to go to Ca Mau, but funding was exhausted, he had to leave the plan for the next trip. The memory that makes Thanh Cong touched every time he remembers is his birthday in June 2020, when he stopped in Ho Chi Minh City, with no friends beside him, so he bought a birthday cake to welcome his new age with the dog. mine. By mid-June, Cong decided to return to Ha Long, ending a month of “wandering” with the dog. Considering the costs and possible problems, he chose to ride the bus to be safer. After the North – South tour, Thanh Cong also has a trip to Ha Long – Ha Giang with a dog. “I don’t know if there will be anyone to come with me in the future, but for sure the dog will always accompany him on the trips”, he confided. Thanh Cong feels lucky to have a special friend accompanying his trips. “Until now, after I return, I still feel like I have gone. My feeling about the past journey for me is only encapsulated in the word ‘beautiful’, I have seen so many beautiful things. I was surprised by the lifestyle of each region, each place brings a strange experience ”. Currently, Thanh Cong has found a new job. He plans to save money, rely on the disease to plan his trip this year. “The epidemic from last year until now has upset everything from personal life to work. But perhaps thanks also, because when I am unemployed, I will have the opportunity and the determination to do what I think will be a long time to do.

The unemployment rate of working age in the first quarter of this year was 2.42%, the rate of young people who were unemployed and not participating in study or training in quarter 1 was 16.3%, equivalent to nearly 2. million young people.

Also according to the General Statistics Office, 9.1 million workers aged 15 years and over are affected by the epidemic, 540,000 people lose their jobs, 2.8 million people have to take a break, temporarily stop doing business, and 3.1 million people are affected by the epidemic. cut working hours or forced to quit, take turns, 6.5 million people have their income reduced.

Urban workers were more affected than rural areas with 15.6%, compared with 10.4% in rural areas.

Millions of workers are affected by COVID-19. (Illustration)

In terms of three regions, the region least affected is agriculture, forestry and fishery with 7.5% of workers being negatively affected by the pandemic. Industry and construction sector ranked second. Labor in the service sector was hit the hardest, with a rate of 20.4%.

Meanwhile, the average monthly income of employees in the first quarter reached about 6.3 million dong / month, a slight increase compared to the previous quarter as well as the same period last year.

Although the average income increased, this growth was uneven across sectors. Many industries are still heavily affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, causing the income of workers in that industry to decline. These are industries: art, entertainment, transportation, warehousing …

According to Mr. Pham Hoai Nam, Director of the Department of Population and Labor Statistics (General Statistics Office), the numbers on the employment situation in the first quarter of 2021 reflect many difficulties and fluctuations in the economy. in general and the Vietnamese labor market in particular.

To remove difficulties for the job market, the General Statistics Office proposed the Government, ministries and branches to immediately study the issue of “vaccine passports”, to develop the necessary criteria to open the market. The international tourism school aims to help the service and tourism industry not miss opportunities for recovery and development.

Many elephant camps in Thailand were once the top destination for international tourists, but are now forced to close or scale down due to the March 2020 ban. return to their original habitat.

An estimated 3,800 house elephants have been moved out of the tourist spots scattered in Surin province (southeastern Thailand) to the coastal towns of Pattaya or Phuket and the mountains around Chiang Mai.

Several individuals were brought back to Huay Pakkot, a village 180 km southeast of Chiang Mai city where the Karen ethnic minorities have traditionally raised elephants for generations.

A bishop is looking for 4 old elephants. Older males can become aggressive and even kill their offspring. Photo: Nikkei Asia

“After two days, the elephants are gradually adapting to new habitats,” said Theerapat Trungprakan, president of the Thai Elephant Association.

Huay Pakkot and several surrounding villages used to be the largest concentration of elephants in Northern Thailand. Here, elephants are used in the logging industry. After Thailand’s ban on logging in 1989, elephants and mahout left and joined the tourism industry that grew “like mushrooms after rain”.

“The elephants have been returned home, where they were born, but that place is not the same place anymore,” Mr. Theerapat said.

Bishop Pongkavi Kwansaodaeng hugs Dumbo (5 years old), one of his four elephants. Image:

Nikkei Asia

The once fertile forests, where elephants could roam around and find plentiful food, have “disappeared”, replaced by bare slopes planted with corn for fodder. . The amount of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers used are now in the soil and will most likely cause the elephant’s death.

“Elephants now have to share their living space with modern agriculture,” said Satit Trachookwamdee, a man who used to raise five elephants. “The natural forests now meet only 10% of the elephant herd’s daily diet. The rest must be shipped from remote towns, which are very expensive.”

An elephant can consume up to 300kg of fodder per day, most of the house elephants are now chained to prevent them from destroying crops, and to prevent unknown elephants from colliding with each other.

“This is like gathering aggressive kids in a nursery,” said Theerapat.

If you lose your elephant, the consequences are very unpredictable. An 8-year-old female elephant named Nana suffered chemical burns on her tongue and palate after eating food containing herbicides.

The elephants were fed corn, a food source not available at Huay Pakkot. Photo: Nikkei Asia

In order to promptly cure dangerous cases, Chiang Mai University collaborated with the Thai Elephant Association and the government to create a mobile multi-purpose clinic: a truck that can be converted in minutes into a field clinic, or used to transport severe cases to one of Thailand’s four elephant hospitals.

However, getting the health force to reach remote areas may still take days. This is considered one of the limitations of elephant farming in rural areas instead of in tourist sites where care services are available.

In these villages, the majority of people often live in poverty, lacking the necessary resources to sustain these “giant” animals.

“I prefer to live here. It’s much more free here,” said Pongkavi Kwansaodaeng as he stroked Dumbo, one of his four elephants. “The elephants are happier here too. You can see it through their eyes and expressions. Here they have more time to mingle with nature.”

However, Pongkavi also admits that this paradise life may not last long. Before the pandemic broke out, Pongkavi worked in a tourist area and could earn 24,000 Baht (more than 17 million VND) in rent for an elephant a month.

Most of the money he saves is used to buy elephant food. But it is likely that this amount will be depleted in less than a year, although there are many opinions that Thailand will reopen international visitors in October to help revive the country’s tourism industry.

Theerapat, owner of Patara elephant farm near Chiang Mai city, said it currently receives only about 10 visitors a week, compared with 45 times per day before the pandemic. Despite being prized for how to raise and breed elephants, his farm is currently struggling to keep the remaining 40 elephants, compared with 81 pre-pandemic herds.

This elephant rancher had to use up his savings, borrow money, sell property and vehicles to continue his business. “During my heyday, I used to drive a modern sports car. Right now, I can only afford a 40-year old Range Rover,” Theerapat said.

Elephant tourism previously brought Thailand nearly 6 billion Baht per year, although difficulties still surround, but Mr. Theerapat believes that this is also an opportunity for elephant tourism to create some new reforms.

“We should not think of elephant tourism as a business, but see this as a way to help preserve and conserve this species. Therefore, it is necessary to establish an appropriate standard for the industry. This “, Mr. Theerapat stressed.

In its early days, elephant tourism was often “Disneylanded” with elephants kicking soccer balls, playing basketball, and performing circus-like games to attract tourists. Many farms also train elephants to learn to draw or play musical instruments. Several farms have been accused of exploiting elephant labor.

In response to criticism and calls for boycotts from animalists at home and abroad, some farm owners prevented visitors from riding elephants, restricting visitors from participating in activities such as elephant feeding. and shower.

But according to Mr. Theerapat, this is a misconception. Elephant riding is seen as daily exercise for this species, if this activity is not maintained, it is easy to cause overweight for elephants, or cause them to digestive problems and make them worse. Females become difficult to give birth, even die during childbirth.

Theerapat said that the elephant tourism industry is a solution to help prevent the extinction of the elephant population in Thailand, which owns the second largest number of elephants in Asia after Myanmar.

Releasing large numbers of elephants to no longer invested or relatively sensitive natural areas in Thailand would be difficult. Although they are able to return to the place where they were born, when falling into unemployment and lack of caregivers, house elephants find it difficult to survive on their own.

“Before, there were some people who wanted to quit elephant tourism. Now, maybe they have achieved their wish. But then what?”, Shrugged Mr. Theerapat. “Who will be responsible for the future of these elephants?”

Sapphire

According to Nikkei Asia