Consulting on labor recruitment information. (Illustration photo: VNA)

According to the report on social security assurance during the Lunar New Year 2025 by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs on February 2, thousands of workers worked through Tet in some industrial parks in Hanoi , Bac Giang, Dong Nai, Binh Duong...

Stop work before Tet significantly reduced

The labor situation before the Lunar New Year of At Ty in 2025 recorded an increase in seasonal recruitment demand as businesses boosted production to serve Tet needs.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the estimated demand for labor recruitment before the Lunar New Year of At Ty in 2025 is 28,525 positions, mainly concentrated in the trade and service sector, accounting for nearly 70%. Most businesses try to maintain or increase Tet bonuses to retain employees, while many workers from other provinces returning home early can also lead to local labor shortages.

Before the Tet holiday, there were still some businesses that were slow to pay salaries and 13th month bonuses, causing difficulties for workers. More than 700 workers at Van Ha Garment Joint Stock Company in Thanh Hoa province stopped working collectively to demand benefits related to the 13th month bonus, social insurance and salary. 251 workers at Minh Hoang 2 Garment Company Limited in Quang Nam province stopped working collectively from the morning of January 21, 2025 because the Company had not paid the Tet bonus (13th month salary) and owed long-term insurance payments.

However, the number of work stoppages before Tet has decreased significantly. According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the number of collective work stoppages before the Lunar New Year 2025 has decreased by 50% compared to the previous year, with only 7 cases recorded in the last two months of 2024.

This significant reduction reflects the effectiveness of Tet care activities for workers, from ensuring wages and bonuses to organizing worker support programs.

During Tet, businesses have implemented many policies and benefits to support employees, mostly Lunar New Year and New Year bonuses; some businesses support temporary accommodation; support travel expenses for employees to return home for Tet; in addition, other benefits such as cash gifts, Tet gifts, or 13th month salary bonuses are also implemented to ensure rights and create the best conditions for employees to celebrate Tet.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor also organized the program "Union Train - Spring 2025" which supported round-trip train tickets for 1,750 union members and workers from the Southern provinces to the North and supported the Union flight, bringing 400 workers back to their hometown with two routes: Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh.

Enterprises have proactively discussed salary and bonus issues early and coordinated with trade unions to organize practical programs to help reduce conflicts and retain workers. Some industrial parks in Hanoi, Bac Giang, Dong Nai, Binh Duong... have thousands of workers registered to work during Tet.

However, some businesses still violate salary and bonus agreements, leading to discontent among workers, especially in localities with many foreign-invested enterprises (FDI) such as Binh Duong, Long An and Ho Chi Minh City.

“Keeping” workers to avoid labor shortage after Tet

During Tet, at some key national projects such as Long Thanh airport, southern expressways, energy projects... still maintain urgent work, throughout Tet, workers and laborers are cared for, and Tet is organized at the construction site in accordance with the direction in Official Dispatch No. 06/CD-TTg dated January 25, 2025 of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and presented Tet gifts to officials and workers who were working through Tet at the Long Thanh International Airport project (Dong Nai) on February 1 and the Dong Dang (Lang Son) - Tra Linh (Cao Bang) expressway project on February 2.

It is forecasted that after Tet, the labor market will also experience some fluctuations as some of the workforce may not return (change jobs or change residence). This leads to a temporary local labor shortage and increased demand for new recruitment in the first quarter of 2025, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors.

Besides, a large workforce in the public service sector after the plan to reorganize and streamline the state apparatus will participate in the labor market, creating pressure on job connection for these subjects.

According to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, to ensure labor after Tet, it is necessary to focus on proactively grasping the labor-employment situation in the area; strengthening labor market information and connecting labor supply and demand through activities such as increasing the frequency of organizing job fairs and organizing online job fairs between localities. To avoid labor shortages after Tet, businesses often proactively have policies to "retain" employees and improve benefits to minimize labor fluctuations after Tet.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs requested ministries, branches and localities to focus on directing and proactively implementing plans to welcome workers back to work right after Tet, ensuring stable production and business activities right from the first days and months of the new year of At Ty 2025./.

According to vietnamplus.vn