Labour supply - demand imbalance
According to the Hanoi Employment Service Center, after the Lunar New Year 2026, job transaction sessions are organized continuously as recruitment demand increases compared to the end of 2025, although not evenly distributed across industries. Labor demand is concentrated in manufacturing, textiles, footwear, electronics, logistics and services, mainly unskilled labor and basic skills.
Mr. Bui Dinh Dung - Director of Thanh Tien Consumer Goods Production Co., Ltd. (Ha Dong ward, Hanoi) - said that immediately after the Lunar New Year, the company will recruit about 70 more workers for positions of production workers, accountants, and sales staff. In addition to posting recruitment on the website, the company also uses intermediaries, job brokers... to ensure recruiting enough people to serve production and business.
Similarly, Ms. Ban Thi Thuy Nga - Head of Human Resources Department of Hoang Linh Transport Service Company (Lang ward, Hanoi) - informed that immediately after Tet, her company recruited hundreds of personnel for driver, assistant driver, warehouse staff, and sales staff positions.
In the past 5 years, this is the largest recruitment of our company. In addition to traditional recruitment channels, the company also hires intermediaries to ensure recruitment of people" - Ms. Nga shared.
Although the recruitment situation is quite vibrant, Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center - assessed that labor supply and demand are "out of sync".
One of the prominent issues of the job market at the beginning of the year is the mismatch between labor supply and demand. Businesses need workers who are willing to work shifts, overtime, with discipline and certain skills, while many workers, especially young workers, prioritize stable working hours, low pressure, and high income" - Mr. Thanh said.
Mr. Thanh further analyzed that the proportion of trained workers with degrees and certificates continues to increase, but the situation of working in different fields is still common in the labor market. Notably, in the high-skilled labor segment, many businesses lack personnel to meet the requirements for digital skills, foreign languages, and technology adaptability. Meanwhile, in the general labor segment, businesses face difficulties in retaining workers, because income has not kept up with living costs and working conditions are still under high pressure.
Existing difficulties
Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment - said that the biggest difficulty of the job market at the beginning of the year is the low stability. Many businesses are recruiting sparingly, cautiously expanding production due to concerns about order fluctuations. This causes new job opportunities to increase but are unsustainable, and workers are prone to falling into the "in - out" spiral of jobs.
In addition, the high cost of living after Tet also creates great pressure on workers. Room rent, consumer prices, tuition fees for children... make job seekers' salary requirements increasingly high. When the salary offered by businesses does not meet expectations, the "meeting" process between the two sides becomes more difficult.
However, Mr. Trung said that despite many challenges, the job market at the beginning of the year still recorded positive signs. Some industries such as logistics, e-commerce, information technology, and healthcare services continue to have stable recruitment demand. The trend of digital transformation opens up many new job opportunities, requiring higher skills but accompanied by attractive income levels.
Policies to support the labor market, connect job supply and demand through exchanges, job fairs, and online recruitment platforms are being effective. Workers have more channels to access information, and businesses reduce recruitment costs.
