HANOI, Jan 15 (Oana-Xinhua-Bernama) -- Vietnam has worked out a plan to create between 1.3 and 1.4 million jobs annually in the 2001-2005 period, according to a report of Vietnam News Agency Tuesday.

The country will also reduce unemployment to five percent and increase working time in rural areas to 80 percent by 2005.

Under the plan, Vietnam will provide vocational training to 1.3 million people annually, including 200,000 technicians, from now to 2010.

To that end, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs aims to increase the number of regional-standard vocational schools to 25 by 2005 and to 40 by 2010. The ministry is expected to build a vocational training school in each province and a job training centre in each district by 2005.

Vietnam now has about 46.6 million people of working age, accounting for 59 percent of the country's population.

In 2001, the country found jobs for 1.4 million people, a 7.8 percent year-on-year increase. About 40,000 of these workers were sent abroad. -- Oana-Xinhua-Bernama