Labour gaps expected after Tet, Ministry warns
Vietnam’s labour market is forecast to experience temporary shortages in several regions following the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), driven by workers relocating or switching jobs, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).
In a report, the Ministry noted that pre-holiday seasonal hiring surged as businesses ramped up production to meet demand.
Ho Chi Minh City alone estimated a need for more than 28,000 seasonal workers, primarily in trade and service sectors. While many firms offered increased bonuses to retain staff, early departures of migrant workers returning to their hometowns triggered localised labour shortfalls.
The Ministry also acknowledged that a few firms delayed 13th-month salary bonuses and social insurance payments ahead of Tet, sparking worker discontent.
Notably, over 700 workers at the Van Ha Garment JSC in Thanh Hoa province staged a collective work stoppage to demand overdue bonuses and benefits, and 251 workers at Minh Hoang Garment 2 LTD in Quang Nam province halted work over unpaid bonuses.
However, seven such incidents happened in late 2024, down by half year-on-year, which MOLISA attributed to improved welfare programmes.
Two such programmes were 'Union Train Spring 2025' organised by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to support round-trip train tickets for 1,750 workers from southern provinces to the north and 'Sponsored Union Flights' that took 400 workers home on HCM City-Hanoi and HCM City-Vinh routes.
During Tet, thousands of workers in some key industrial hubs and major national projects such as Long Thanh International Airport gave up their family gatherings to remain on the job.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited workers at Long Thanh International Airport on February 1 and the Dong Dang – Tra Linh Expressway on February 2, delivering Tet gifts and words of encouragement.
After Tet, MOLISA warned that an influx of public sector employees affected by government restructuring policies would enter the job market, complicating efforts to match workers with vacancies.
The Ministry urged labour agencies to strengthen monitoring of supply-demand trends and expand online job-matching platforms across provinces to fill the forecast labour gaps in the first quarter.
Local authorities and businesses were urged to implement 'back-to-work' plans to ensure swift resumption of operations. The Ministry also emphasised that ensuring labour stability post-holiday requires proactive coordination between all stakeholders.
