On the morning of July 6, 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) held a press conference to announce the situation of labor and employment in the second quarter and the first 6 months of 2022. Mr. Nguyen Trung Tien – Deputy General Director of GSO chaired the press conference. Attending were Ms. Gulmira Asanbaeve, manager of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Vietnam; representatives of ministries and agencies; departments of GSO; and press agencies. The press conference was connected online at the bridge points of some Province Statistics Office.
At the press conference, GSO announced labor and employment data in the second quarter and first six months of 2022; reported on the post-pandemic recovery of employment and labour market in the second quarter of 2022.
According to the labor report, employment, the flexible responses together with constant efforts by the entire political system, from central to local, to recover and develop the economy, have helped bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control, with most of production and business operations returning to the normal state as before the Covid-19 pandemic. The 31st SEA Games event was successfully held in Viet Nam, thus helping promote more vibrant trade, tourism and cultural activities as a spur for economic recovery. Therefore, Viet Nam’s labor market in the second quarter of 2022 continued to maintain its recovery momentum. Both the total labour force and employed workers in the second quarter of 2022 increased relative to the previous quarter and over the same period last year in all three economic sectors. The average monthly income of workers increased relative to the previous quarter and over the same period last year. The statutory working-age unemployment and underemployment rates both decreased relative to the previous quarter and the same period last year. According to this, in the second quarter of 2022, Viet Nam recorded just over 8.0 million people aged 15 and older who were negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, down more than half compared to the previous quarter (equivalent to a decrease of 8.9 million people) and down 4.8 million people over the same period last year. The labor force aged 15 and older in the second quarter of 2022 was 51.6 million people, an increase of more than 0.4 million people compared to the previous quarter and an increase of nearly 0.6 million people on a year-on-year basis. In the first 6 months of 2022, the labor force aged 15 and over reached 51.4 million people, 0.4 million people higher than the same period last year. The labor force in urban areas is 19.1 million people; female labor force reached 24.0 million people.
The number of employees aged 15 years and over working in the second quarter of 2022 was 50.5 million people, an increase of 504.6 thousand people compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 701.8 thousand people compared to the same period last year. Generally, in the first 6 months of 2022, employed workers aged 15 and over reached 50.3 million people, an increase of 417,000 people compared to the same period last year. In which, employed laborers in urban areas were 18.6 million people, an increase of 762 thousand people.
The prevalence of non-AFF informal employment in the second quarter of 2022 was 55.6%, down 0.6 percentage points from the previous quarter and down 1.8 percentage points over the same period last year. The rate of workers with informal employment nationwide in the first 6 months of this year was 55.9%, down 1.3 percentage points over the same period last year; the downward trend can be seen in both urban and rural areas, in both men and women.
The number of subsistence workers in the second quarter of 2022 was 4.3 million people, 0.4 million lower than the previous quarter but still 0.1 million higher than the same period last year. The number of subsistence workers in the first 6 months of 2022 is nearly 4.6 million people, 0.7 million higher than the same period last year. These workers are mainly in rural areas (accounting for 89.6%).
The underemployment rate of aged workers in the second quarter of 2022 was 1.96%, down 1.05 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and down 0.64 percentage points over the same period last year. Generally for the first 6 months of 2022, the underemployment rate of working-age workers was 2.48%, down 0.1 percentage point over the same period last year. The underemployment rate in urban areas is lower than in rural areas (1.88% and 2.85%) respectively.
The unemployment rate of working age in the second quarter of 2022 was 2.32%, down 0.14 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and down 0.30 percentage points over the same period last year. The unemployment rate of working age in the first 6 months of 2022 was 2.39%, down 0.13 percentage points over the same period last year.
The average monthly income of workers in the second quarter of 2022 reached 6.6 million VND, an increase of 206 thousand VND compared to the first quarter of 2022. The average monthly income of workers in the first 6 months of 2022 is 6.5 million VND, an increase of 5.3% (equivalent to an increase of VND 326 thousand) compared to the same period in 2021 and an increase of 11% (equivalent to an increase of 646 thousand VND) compared to the same period in 2020.
Overall, it was thanks to the strong motto of “Safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of the Covid-19 pandemic” along with appropriate and bold solutions taken by the Government and sectors at different levels in the implementation of the Socio-Economic Recovery and Development Programme in the spirit of Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP that Viet Nam’s labour market in the second quarter of 2022 has prospered. The number of workers negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased sharply, the number of people entering the labor force continued to increase, and the number of employed workers has increased sharply, especially in the services sector. Labour market growth has become more sustainable with the increase concentrated mainly in formally employed workers. Unemployment and underemployment both fell. Workers’ income continued to improve.