VNExpress-Sept 14
Ho Chi Minh City needs tens of thousands of highly skilled technical workers for urban railway projects that are already under way or taking shape, while the current workforce meets only a small portion of the demand. Under the southern metropolis’s urban railway development plan for the next five years, it aims to complete six metro lines with a combined length of 187 km, and by 2035, put 14 lines totaling 462 km into operation. Metro Line No. 2 (Ben Thanh–Tham Luong) is scheduled for completion and operation in 2030, alongside priority projects including the extensions of Metro Line No. 1 (the New Binh Duong City–Suoi Tien section) and Metro Line No. 2 (Thu Dau Mot City–Ho Chi Minh City section), Metro Line No. 3 (Vung Tau–Ba Ria–Phu My), and Metro Line No. 6 – the inner ring line (Phu Huu–Ba Queo–Phu Lam roundabout–Phu Huu), with a total length of 180 km. Le Minh Triet, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1), said that simply putting the city’s first metro line into operation required hundreds to as many as 1,000 workers across various specialized fields. As the city invests in multiple “backbone” metro lines in the coming period, the demand for human resources will grow exponentially. Recently, HURC1 announced the recruitment of personnel to undergo training and receive technology transfer for the operation and maintenance of the Phu Quoc LRT railway line. The company said a total of 168 positions are to be recruited, including 130 operations personnel and 38 maintenance workers. They require university, college or equivalent qualifications in relevant fields. Under the human resources training scheme serving the development of the urban railway network approved by the municipal People’s Committee, the city will need around 70,000 workers by 2030 to support investment in and development of its metro system, including project management personnel, operations and maintenance staff, engineers, technical workers, consultants and designers. Of this total, around 30,000 workers will be needed for operations, maintenance and technical positions, while approximately 12,000 will be required for construction.
