“I will stay at home and work at a local workshop. The salary may be a bit lower, but the life is always easier in the countryside than in cities,” he said.

Tai knows that several industrial zones in Bac Giang have been set up and many are recruiting garment workers. He says his 10-years of experience will easily nab him a job in Bac Giang or in one of the neighboring provinces of Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh and Viet Tri.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Quoc Trung, employed by Hoang Hac Joint Stock Company at 19-20 Tay Thanh in HCMCity is still wavering between coming back and staying on. He fears that he cannot find a job at home in NinhThuanProvince, and he is afraid of leaving a stable lifestyle for an unsure future.

Punishments or Incentives

However, if Mr. Trung does not return after Tet, he will lose 10% of his last month’s salary. The company where he works has announced that it will hold a percentage of each workers January salary as a security deposit, which will be disbursed only after Mr. Trung returns after Tet. If he does not come back, he will have to accept losing the money.

Garment companies in industrial zones are taking several measures to attract and retain skilled workers. One Director of a company said he always gives Tet bonuses early and organizes parties to make workers feel happy.

Pham Hoang Chung, a worker at South Korea’s Changshin Vietnam in Vinh Cuu Industrial Zone in DongNaiProvince, said the company subsidizes 10-20% of traveling expenses for workers returning home to enjoy the Tet holiday.

Regarding the personnel policy, Mr. Chung related that the company has a division that specializes in hunting for workers. Khmer people also work there. “The company tries to satisfy all their requirements. The canteen will not serve food they cannot eat,” he said.

Rural areas are now undergoing the complicated process of industrialization, and more and more workers are leaving cities to return to their home villages. Life in countryside is oft