Each year, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare directs each provincial Labour and Social Welfare Department to provide training for rubber plantation workers, but due to budget constraints they can only train 40-50 workers a year, Mr Onsa said. However, many people have improved their skills on the job whilst working with the companies, Mr Onsasaid. There are still concerns as to whether there will be sufficient labour when a large number of plantations mature and are ready to tap in the next few years.
Currently, there are still a lot of Lao workers working on rubber plantations, and a small number of Vietnamese technical advisors running them, he said. Provincial Departments of Labour and Social Welfare aim to ensure the workers are properly paid and that there will be sufficient Lao workers to meet future demand.
Some people in neighbouring Attapeu province are leaving rubber plantations to take up more profitable work, according to the provincial Labour and Social Welfare Department.
Investors have already planted about 300,000 hectares of rubber in total, while some farms are owned by local people .