High recruitment demand
The merger of Hai Duong province with Hai Phong city is a significant event in the administrative and economic planning of the region.
According to the city's report, in the first nine months of 2025, the total investment capital in the area reached over 225,000 billion VND, including over 33,869 billion VND from the state sector (DDI), over 97,871 billion VND from the non-state sector, and over 95,436 billion VND from foreign direct investment (FDI). Notably, the number of newly established businesses increased by 36.4%, with registered capital 2.8 times higher than the same period last year.
The Hai Phong Economic Zone Management Board forecasts that there is still significant potential for growth in FDI and DDI capital. From the end of 2024 to the present, the city has established 12 new industrial parks with an area of 3,202 hectares.
These include 9 industrial parks in the East: Trang Due 3 (687 ha), Vinh Quang (350 ha), Thuy Nguyen Phase 1 (247.8 ha), Ngu Phuc (238.6 ha), Nomura - Hai Phong Phase 2 (230.8 ha), Tan Trao (227.7 ha), Tran Duong - Hoa Binh (207.9 ha), Nam Trang Cat (200.3 ha), and Tien Lang Airport Industrial Park (Zone B) (186.4 ha). The 3 industrial parks in the West include: Hoang Dieu (245 ha), Kim Thanh 2 Phase 1 (234.6 ha), and Binh Giang (147.9 ha).
To date, Hai Phong has 43 industrial parks with a total area of over 12,100 hectares. Of these, 23 industrial parks are located in East Hai Phong and 20 in West Hai Phong. In addition, two major economic zones – Dinh Vu - Cat Hai and the southern coastal zone of Hai Phong – are under construction.
Industrial parks and economic zones create significant opportunities for the city to attract a wave of investment from domestic and foreign corporations and businesses to Hai Phong. The rapid expansion and development of these industrial parks and economic zones means that Hai Phong will become one of the most vibrant labor markets in the North, with thousands of businesses coming to invest and produce.
The average occupancy rate of the 25 industrial parks and 1 economic zone with completed infrastructure currently operating in the city is estimated at approximately 62%. The demand for recruitment from businesses is very high. As of September 2025, there are expected to be around 345,000 workers in the industrial parks and economic zones in the city.
Since the beginning of the year, due to labor fluctuations and the need to expand production, businesses in the 25 industrial parks have recruited more than 42,000 workers. It is projected that these parks will still need to recruit nearly 3,000 more workers to meet production demands by the end of the year.
Several industrial parks have high labor recruitment needs, such as the VSIP industrial park in Thuy Nguyen ward. Since the beginning of the year, this industrial park has recruited over 10,110 workers, with a shortage of over 1,500. The Trang Due industrial park has recruited 10,364 workers, with a shortage of 230. The Phu Thai industrial park has recruited 2,495 workers, with a shortage of over 300…
Production is operating at a reduced capacity due to a labor shortage.
Labor shortages are becoming a major "bottleneck," forcing some businesses to slow down production schedules or even temporarily halt expansion.
Migrant workers account for one-third of the total workforce in Hai Phong's industrial zones and economic zones. Some businesses employ 100% migrant workers, yet still struggle to meet production needs. Many businesses are operating at a reduced capacity, refusing new orders, and temporarily halting expansion due to labor shortages.
Ms. Luong Thi Thanh Hai, Chairwoman of the Trade Union of Dinh Vang Co., Ltd. (Duong Kinh Ward), said that the company in Duong Kinh Ward currently has about 3,100 employees. Despite continuously recruiting workers, the company is still short of about 600-700 laborers, making it impossible to expand production or accept more orders.
Regina Miracle International Vietnam Co., Ltd., located in the VSIP Hai Phong Industrial Park, has five factories and nearly 30,000 employees. Despite not expanding its production lines, the company consistently faces a labor shortage of approximately 1,000 workers per month.
Ms. Pham Thi Minh Hai, Deputy Head of Human Resources at the company, frankly stated: "Expanding industrial zones is essential, but the city hasn't considered the issue of human resources. Our company is currently always short of labor and doesn't dare accept more orders."
The western area of Hai Phong is also experiencing a labor shortage. Nissei Vietnam Technology Co., Ltd. (Phuc Dien Industrial Park) regularly lacks 100-200 workers, even though the company offers a reward of 4 million VND for each referral of a new worker.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoi, Vice President of the company's Trade Union, said the company is expanding its production plant with a total investment of over 2,500 billion VND in the Phuc Dien Expanded Industrial Park, expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2029. However, the labor issue remains a major challenge.
"Local human resources are scarce. The majority of workers come from the northern mountainous provinces. Therefore, the company organizes systematic vocational training for workers, aiming for a stable workforce that will be committed to the company in the long term," Ms. Thoi said.
Alarming labor supply situation.
In the first 10 months of 2025, the Employment Service Center of the Department of Internal Affairs organized 82 job fairs with 1,220 participating businesses. These businesses needed to recruit 282,200 workers, an increase of over 107,500 compared to the same period in 2024 (a 162% increase). 90% of the positions required only unskilled labor, not high-level professional qualifications. Despite considerable efforts, only over 34,000 workers participated in the preliminary selection process through the job fairs.
According to the City Labor Federation, to maintain stable production, the specific recruitment needs of industrial zones are estimated at over 30,000 people, mainly concentrated in large-scale manufacturing enterprises in the following industrial zones: Trang Due, An Duong, Deep C, VSIP, Nam Cau Kien, Phuc Dien, Phuc Dien Expansion…
The Resolution of the First Congress of the Hai Phong City Party Committee, for the term 2025-2030, sets a target of having approximately 87,000 businesses throughout the city by 2030. Around 9,200 businesses are expected to be established annually.
The city's Economic Zone Management Board forecasts that by 2030, the city will need to add hundreds of thousands of highly skilled workers in the logistics sector (460,000 workers); high-tech industry, healthcare, and tourism (127,800 workers)...
To meet the aforementioned labor supply needs, the city requires fundamental and comprehensive solutions regarding training and future workforce utilization.
Lesson 2: Difficulty Retaining Workers from Outside the City
HAI VAN - MINH NGUYETSource: https://baohaiphong.vn/go-nut-that-lao-dong-de-but-pha-bai-1-do-mat-tim-nguoi-524949.html
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