Young workers return to craft villages

Finding a new direction

Amidst the wave of personnel cuts taking place in many industries, Ms. Tran Thi Thuong (29 years old, Hong Van commune, Hanoi) became one of the affected workers. Losing a job not only disrupts income, but also puts her under pressure to quickly find a new direction.

Deciding to return to Ha Thai lacquer village (Hong Van commune, Hanoi), Ms. Thuong started working at a local lacquer workshop for 3 months now. Ms. Thuong said that in the past, her family used to do this traditional craft, so she wanted to return to the craft, taking advantage of what she had learned.

Despite having a background in contact with lacquer from before, for Ms. Thuong, to do the job, it is still necessary to learn from the beginning. “Previously, I only stopped at knowing how to do it but did not understand in depth. When I returned to my old job and started working seriously, I realized that each stage has its own requirements, requiring meticulousness and patience...” - Ms. Thuong said.

Ms. Thuong's current job is mainly basic stages such as drawing, lacquer coating, product finishing... On average, her monthly income is about 8 million VND, depending on the workload and the number of products sold.

Switching to another environment after many years of working as a graphic designer brings many new things to Ms. Thuong. "I am gradually adapting and seeing this as an opportunity to learn and start over. Currently, I cannot confirm that I will stick with the profession for a long time because I have just returned 3 months ago and am still in the process of learning and improving my skills," Ms. Thuong shared.

Also according to Ms. Thuong, in her current job, she does not dare to say anything in advance because she still has to consider income, job opportunities and plans to have children later. But if there is an opportunity and conditions are sufficient, she hopes to be able to open her own workshop, create jobs for local people, for young people and bring the village's products closer to more people.

Keeping young workers

According to Mr. Tran Bao Trung - owner of a lacquer workshop in Ha Thai village, the appearance of a young labor force is bringing innovations to the craft village. If in the past, lacquer mainly followed the traditional style, now, many young people have boldly created, combining materials, colors and modern styles to create products that are more suitable for market tastes.

At Mr. Trung's workshop, there are currently about 3-5 young workers working regularly with an average income of 8 million VND/month, which may increase when the number of orders is large. However, the income of workers depends heavily on the market and the stability of orders.

Lacquer is a picky item. Of course, when there are orders, the income is better, but not always smooth sailing," Mr. Trung said.

According to records of Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, at production facilities in Ha Thai village, the advantages of young workers are health, aesthetic thinking, ability to access new trends and how to apply digital platforms to promote lacquer products. However, to be attached for a long time, besides passion, workers still need time to learn the craft, persistently practice techniques and adapt to the specific characteristics of the lacquer craft.

In addition, the working environment is also an important factor. Manufacturing workshops all have innovations in design, technology application or expanding promotion on digital platforms, often creating attraction and increasing the ability to retain young workers.

From production reality, it can be seen that the combination of the experience of previous generations and the creativity of young people is creating more motivation for establishments in Ha Thai lacquer craft village. However, to attract and retain young workers, the problem of income, development opportunities and long-term stability still needs to be solved in the current context.

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