Experienced workers... find it difficult to find jobs
Ms. Doan Quynh Doan (from Cuc Phuong commune, Ninh Binh) has been in charge of the accounting department of a plastic production company in Phuong Liet ward, Hanoi for 14 years. In July 2025, Ms. Doan lost her job because the company lost many orders, production shrank, and only kept 1 accountant.
Unemployed at the age of 37, Ms. Doan was confused and did not know where to start. Initially, she was quite confident with her work experience and skills accumulated after decades of working. However, she quickly fell into anxiety because she was both actively looking for a job and asking acquaintances to connect, but for half a year she still had not found a job.
I realize that I have been sitting in one place for a long time and cannot imagine how much the outside has changed. For example, accounting positions in companies and businesses are losing a lot of work due to streamlining the apparatus, digital technology changes many parts of work...", Ms. Doan said.
Also according to Ms. Doan's sharing, what makes her even more confused is that her cousin is just a general laborer, and after losing his job, he quickly finds a new job. "Maybe market demand has changed, businesses need direct production positions rather than intermediary and administrative personnel," Ms. Doan said.
At job service centers, it is not difficult to encounter workers aged 35–50 looking for new opportunities after businesses restructure and reduce production. They have decades of working experience, are familiar with labor discipline, and possess many practical skills. However, the job search journey of this group of workers is often long, even deadlocked.
Many people reflect that job applications are eliminated from the "parking lot" just because their age exceeds the business's desired threshold. Many recruitment news clearly state the requirement "under 35 years old", causing experienced workers, even if they meet their professional qualifications, to have no opportunity to access them.
In the opposite direction, a part of middle-aged workers also face difficulties due to slow adaptation to new market requirements. The rapid development of technology and digital transformation has caused many job positions to have strong changes in skill requirements. Many experienced workers lack digital skills, foreign languages or new working methods, leading to difficulty competing with a younger, more formally trained workforce in recent times.
Businesses prioritize personnel rejuvenation
Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Employment Service Center - said that one of the main reasons for the paradox of middle-aged workers with qualifications but difficulty finding jobs is the trend of labor rejuvenation in many businesses. Young workers are often highly appreciated for their quick adaptability, willingness to work with high intensity and lower wages.
In addition, the cost of using older workers, especially social insurance obligations, also makes many businesses hesitant. In the context of increasing production costs, businesses tend to choose young workers to reduce financial burdens," Mr. Thanh said.
To remove the paradox of "lots of experience, few opportunities", according to Mr. Thanh, there needs to be a synchronous solution from the State, businesses and workers.
First of all, it is necessary to build retraining programs to improve skills for middle-aged workers, especially digital skills, management skills and adaptation to new technologies. Lifelong learning is not only for young people, but needs to become a mandatory requirement for all labor groups.
In addition, employment policies need to aim to reduce age barriers in recruitment, encourage businesses to use experienced workers through tax, insurance or training incentives.
On the employee side, proactively updating skills, being willing to change jobs and accepting to learn from the beginning is a key factor to maintain competitiveness. Experience is only truly valuable when it comes with the ability to adapt to new contexts.
The paradox of "lots of experience, few opportunities" reflects the profound inadequacies of the current labor market. In the context of the aging labor force, if there are no appropriate policies to utilize and protect the group of experienced workers, social security risks and waste of resources will increase", Mr. Vu Quang Thanh said.
