Attapeu is expanding its employment services as the province seeks to respond to labor shortages and help people who have left school find work, according to provincial media.
At a meeting on 20 August, Director of the provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare Phonmany Khiengxayavong said the province will focus on linking jobseekers with employers and helping businesses recruit workers with suitable skills.
The push comes after provincial authorities recorded 5,237 students leaving secondary school, grade 6 to 12 between 2022 and 2026.
Attapeu’s labor market currently includes 47,420 workers, of whom 46,282 are employed. The province’s unemployment rate is 2.4 percent, equivalent to about 1,138 people.
Most workers remain in agriculture, which employs 26,315 people, or 56.8 percent of the workforce. Industry accounts for 15,242 workers, while 4,725 people work in services.
Looking ahead, Attapeu will expand employment services in the second half of 2026 by collecting information from jobseekers and employers, identifying workforce needs and improving coordination between government agencies and businesses to connect available workers with suitable jobs.
The province has 2,368 registered business units, providing a potential base for expanding job opportunities and matching workers with employers.
Enrollment Trend in Laos
The issue is part of a bigger challenge in the education field in Laos..
In late July, Vientiane announced plans to support disadvantaged students and reduce school dropouts by waiving school fees, providing free textbooks, redistributing teachers, and strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and information and communications technology (ICT) education.
During the 2024-25 school year, 2.38 percent of primary students dropped out, well above the city’s target of less than 0.4 percent. The lower-secondary dropout rate stood at 5 percent, also above the target of less than 4 percent. Officials linked the dropouts mainly to poverty, families moving, and students leaving school to work or help support their families.
The decline in school enrollment has continued for several years.
Laos has recorded three consecutive years of declining school enrollment. From 2022-23 to 2024-25 school year, primary enrollment fell from 741,976 students to 739,554, while lower secondary enrollment dropped from 388,019 to 378,457.
The sharpest decline was recorded at the upper secondary level, where enrollment fell from 169,523 to 144,050 over the same period.
Education authorities cite poverty, migration to work in the city or abroad and infrastructure challenges.
To Address This
The education challenges facing Attapeu are part of a wider national effort to reduce school dropouts and improve teaching quality.
During a meeting ahead of the 2026–27 school year, Education Minister Thongsalith Mangnomek identified enrollment, dropouts and teacher quality as key challenges. Reforms will strengthen teacher training and placement, while authorities prepare to introduce the 6+3+3 education system nationwide in 2028–29.
In early August, the ministry also announced plans to recruit 2,200 new teacher trainees for the 2026–27 academic year. The intake is based on the number of secondary schools nationwide, with provinces expected to select students with strong academic performance and an interest in teaching.
