From January 1, 2026, Decree 293/2025/ND-CP of the Government stipulating the minimum wage for workers working under official labor contracts takes effect.
Who will get a salary increase from January 1, 2026?
Employers are responsible for adjusting wages for employees in cases where the salary being paid is lower than the new minimum wage applied according to Decree 293/2025/ND-CP.
For employees who are currently earning a salary equal to or higher than the new minimum wage, the salary increase only arises when the two parties have previously reached an agreement on the conditions and roadmap for salary increase and the employee meets these conditions. In addition, in cases where the enterprise has issued a salary scale, salary table or internal salary increase regulations, if the employee meets the conditions according to the enterprise's regulations, the employer is required to implement the salary increase according to the commitment.
How to handle areas with lower minimum wages than before?
One of the points that easily causes confusion is the adjustment of the area applying the minimum wage. According to Decree 293/2025/ND-CP, if due to changes in the area, the new minimum wage is lower than the current level applied on December 31, 2025, then employers still have to continue to pay the old minimum wage to employees recruited before this time.
Do workers have the right to propose higher salaries?
The minimum wage is only the lowest floor level for agreement and payment. The law does not prohibit employees from proposing a higher salary if they consider their work, capacity and labor efficiency to be worthy. In case an agreement is not reached and employees do not want to continue working, they have the right to unilaterally terminate the labor contract, provided that they meet the pre-notice deadline according to the 2019 Labor Code.
Is university graduate's salary compulsory higher than 7%?
Decree 293/2025/ND-CP does not stipulate that the salary of university graduates must be 7% higher than the minimum wage. However, if in labor contracts, collective labor agreements or other legal agreements, a higher salary has been committed (for example, at least 7% higher for jobs requiring training), these commitments will still be implemented, unless the parties have another agreement.
Will paying a salary lower than the minimum wage be penalized?
According to Decree 12/2022/ND-CP, employers who pay lower than the minimum wage will be administratively sanctioned, with penalties gradually increasing according to the number of violated employees, possibly up to 75 million VND for individuals and double for organizations. At the same time, businesses are also forced to pay full insufficient salaries and arising interest to employees.
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