Skills - challenges for many young workers

Mr. Bui Minh Tien has just graduated from university with a major in Graphic Design. Mr. Tien said that because he understood his own experience and skills, he did not apply for a job immediately after graduation.

I have not participated in many expanded activities in my studies, especially groupwork skills. I also do not do extra work related to the major I study, so it is difficult to convince the employer, said Mr. Tien.

Thanks to friends' introduction, Mr. Tien has participated in interviews at a few companies but has not had a common voice with the employer.

companies prioritize candidates with a lot of experience, proficient in many soft skills... this is also a weakness of the majority of new graduates. I am trying to learn more necessary skills and seek internship opportunities to improve myself, said Mr. Tien.

Ms. Bui Quynh Nga has just finished her studies in human resource management. Ms. Nga also did not dare to apply for a job immediately after graduating because she realized that she had no experience. According to Ms. Nga, her major has a large demand for recruitment but the supply of candidates in the market is also abundant.

I researched many recruitment sites, and many applications for human resource management applications are posted to find jobs, while the recruitment demand is also quite active. Notably, employers always attach many additional requirements such as experience, teamwork skills, even foreign languages... I decided to apply for extra work before entering the labor market, Ms. Nga shared.

According to Mr. Vu Quang Thanh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Employment Service Center, there are many reasons why young workers have difficulty finding jobs in the labor market.

Most of the young graduates lack practical work experience in the industry or position they are interested in while businesses want to recruit candidates with work experience. In Hanoi, up to 50% of the vacant positions in September 2025 require workers to have 2 years or more of experience.

In Hanoi, statistics from the Hanoi Employment Service Center show that in recent months, job seekers have mainly focused on the 25-34 age group, this number accounting for 50% of total demand. Young graduates lack practical work experience in the industry or position they are interested in while employers often favor candidates with work experience, many businesses consider recruiting young workers as a risk factor, said Mr. Thanh.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Science analyzed that the main reason why many young people find it difficult to ask for, or even cannot find a job is lack of qualifications and skills.

Many people who are retrained are only theoretical and have never participated in internships; the group of people who are not trained and do not have any professional qualifications makes job opportunities increasingly difficult. Not to mention, for both groups, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking... are still very limited, said Ms. Huong.