VITA Park factories on the increase
VITA Park factories on the increase
Vientiane Industry and Trade Area (VITA Park) has seen an increase in the number of businesses operating in the zone, which now hosts some 43 registered factories, an increase from 34 in 2014.
VITA Park officials reported yesterday that presently, there are 11 factories which have completed construction while seven factories are currently producing electrical appliances and clothes for export, with a total of more than 1,000 employees working for them.
Total employment in the zone has increased 15 percent if compared to 2014, when there were only 600 workers at VITA Park.
The majority of the investors come from China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Denmark.
They are producing goods for export to the EU, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, which have seen their exports grow year by year.
VITA Park expects to see more than 10 new factories registered within this year due to increased investment flows with the inception of the Asean Economic Community.
However the zone still needs to source more labourers to serve their industrial units.
At present, Laos is still facing major issues in relation to a shortage of workers for foreign investors, which means industrial development is under pressure but some factories have taken the decision to expand their businesses here none the less.
VITA Park in Xaythany district is one of the major industrial parks in Vientiane requiring more workers for the factories in the area. This year, it needs an additional 500 labourers to serve its new companies.
VITA reported recently that the majority of the workers in the area come from the nearest villages surrounding the park.
Currently, the investors are building a dormitory where workers living too far away to commute or coming from other provinces can stay.
Several companies are providing chances for local workers to receive training before they are employed at their workplaces. This is considered as one way to encourage more Lao people to work in the industrial park.
VITA is also working in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, vocational training schools, and nearby villages in its efforts to supply workers and promote investment growth.
The park has space for around 50 factories on an area of 110 hectares and is expected to provide employment for more than 12,000 workers once it is fully occupied.
