Workers' income increased by 720,000 VND compared to the first quarter of 2024

Product packaging line at AIC International Dairy Joint Stock Company (Ba Vi district). Photo: Do ​​Tam

According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam is still in the golden population structure period, the working-age population is abundant and increasing annually, the labor force participation rate/population aged 15 and over is about 69%; annually adding about 500,000 people to the labor force.

The labor force aged 15 and over in the first quarter of 2025 was 52.9 million people, down 230.7 thousand people compared to the previous quarter and up 532 thousand people compared to the same period last year.

The rate of trained workers with degrees and certificates is 28.8%, up 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and up 1 percentage point compared to the same period last year.

The labor structure continues to shift positively towards reducing the proportion of labor in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector and increasing the proportion in the industry, construction and service sectors.

The number of employed workers in the first quarter reached 51.9 million, down 234 thousand people, equivalent to a decrease of 0.45% compared to the previous quarter and up 532.1 thousand people, equivalent to an increase of 1.04% compared to the same period last year.

The labor force in the agriculture, forestry and fishery sector reached 13.5 million people, down 305 thousand people compared to the same period last year; the industry and construction sector reached 17.3 million people, up 262.7 thousand people; the service sector reached 21.1 million people, up 574.4 thousand people.

The socio-economic situation of our country in the first quarter of 2025 achieved many positive results, contributing to reducing the unemployment rate and underemployment rate. In general, in the first quarter, the unemployment rate among working-age people was 2.20%, down 0.02 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and down 0.04 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

The number of unemployed people of working age in the first quarter was about 797 thousand people, an increase of 32.4 thousand people compared to the previous quarter and a decrease of 136 thousand people compared to the same period last year.

The limitations of the labor market are also pointed out, such as the limited quality of labor supply, not meeting the needs of a modern, flexible, sustainable and integrated market.

Nationwide, only 28.8% of trained workers have degrees and certificates, lacking both quantity and technical expertise, especially high-quality human resources. Many new jobs are still simple, seasonal, and unstable.

The number of employed workers is on the rise, but the labor market is not yet developing sustainably. Specifically, the rate of informal employment remains high at 64.3%, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous quarter. Workers with informal jobs do precarious, unstable jobs with low incomes.

The number of businesses withdrawing from the market remains high, directly affecting employment opportunities, especially in industries that employ a lot of unskilled workers such as textiles, construction, and manufacturing.

Due to the shift in labor structure from agriculture, forestry and fishery to industry, construction and services, Vietnam's labor productivity in recent times has remained very low compared to other countries in the region, although it has improved significantly and increased steadily over the years.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thu-nhap-cua-nguoi-lao-dong-tang-720-000-dong-so-voi-quy-i-2024-699098.html