Recruiting candidates, only condition "under 26 years old
Ms. Nguyen Ha Thu (name changed) - human resources officer of a multi-industry company in Hanoi - said that recently some positions at the company only recruit people born in 2000, who have graduated from university. "With young personnel, the company does not have to pay too high salaries. More importantly, this group is easier to train according to the business's orientation than workers over 30 years old" - Ms. Thu said.
According to Ms. Thu, the company has just posted a recruitment for the position of event organizer and brand promotion staff with the requirement that candidates are under 26 years old, with a salary of 18 million VND/month.
Ms. Tran Thi Quynh - 33 years old (Van Giap village, Thuong Tin commune, Hanoi city) - shared that after quitting her old company, she submitted applications many times but was rejected. "Some places did not carefully review the experience and asked about her age. Hearing me say I was over 30, they said they would contact me again but then they were silent. I felt sad because of the feeling that the years of accumulating experience became worthless just because of age" - Ms. Quynh recounted.
Similarly, Mr. Tran Duc Loi - 34 years old (Thanh Xuan ward, Hanoi) - lost his job for 5 months. When applying for a job in the graphic design industry, he just received an 8th email of refusal with the reason "not suitable for the criteria of rejuvenating the team".
According to Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center, at job transaction sessions, about 30-35% of businesses are willing to recruit candidates "like blank sheets of paper" for training according to their own orientation, mainly in the fields of marketing, content creation, and IT.
Human resource waste
Having many years of attachment to social security policies and the labor market, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Sciences - cannot help but worry about a reality that is happening: Many workers who have just turned 26 have been implicitly considered "old" by some professions.
Ms. Huong "pointed out" some professions where the age of 25 and 26 becomes an invisible barrier. Technology and programming (IT) sectors: Many companies only prioritize recruiting new graduates or personnel under 25 years old. By the age of 26, if they have not advanced to management or specialized engineer positions, personnel are very likely to be replaced by a younger, cheaper wave.
The textile, garment, footwear and electronics assembly industries: Workers aged 18-25 are always sought after thanks to good health. By the age of 26, businesses find ways to cut this group of personnel to avoid increasing salaries based on seniority or paying higher levels of insurance and benefits.
Services, livestream sales and content creation: Positions such as photo models, content creators... require continuous innovation. At the age of 26, many workers are criticized for being "less enthusiastic", not keeping up with the psychology and language of Gen Z or Gen Alpha.
This paradox is reflected in the overall picture of the labor market, some sectors are showing an extreme trend of "rejuvenation"" - Ms. Huong said.
Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment - said that the story of 26-year-old workers being considered "old" is not only happening in Vietnam but also in countries in the Asian region, especially in countries with fierce competition.
Pushing 26-year-old workers out of the market or forcing them to change jobs in a passive position will waste human resources that are at maturity in thinking and skills. It is necessary to increase supervision and handle age discrimination in recruitment. Businesses must also consider workers as long-term assets, instead of short-term costs. For young people, constantly improving expertise and multitasking themselves is a way to protect themselves" - Mr. Le Quang Trung assessed.
