When official jobs are no longer "worth staying
Mr. Ngo Duy Ngoc, born in 1995, used to be an architect working at a well-known design, construction, and construction company in Hanoi. After 5 years of attachment to the company, at the end of 2023, Mr. Ngoc quit his job, becoming a freelance architect.
The reason for resigning, according to Mr. Ngoc, is that he is not satisfied with the salary rate sharing plan applied by the company.
Each design project, the architect's effort is very large. We have to dedicate a lot of enthusiasm, researching the specifics of each project according to the very personal requirements of customers. With increasing requirements for aesthetics and function, if you cannot meet the requirements of customers, it means that the company loses customers, you lose income. However, a 50/50 profit sharing ratio for each project, on a basis of low basic income, is no longer an attractive condition, especially for people who have experience or are "hard-working" at work," Mr. Ngoc said.
Currently, Mr. Ngoc works as a freelance architect. “Although the work is not as regular as when I used to work at the company, the price is agreed upon, so my total income is still double compared to before, and working hours are also more proactive and flexible,” Mr. Ngoc said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Quynh used to be an accountant at a state agency, headquartered on Chien Thang street (Ha Dong ward, Hanoi). After 8 years of working as an accountant, Ms. Quynh quit her job and switched to working as a freelance accountant, receiving orders from agencies and units introduced by her family and relatives.
According to Ms. Quynh, she has been attached to her old job for 8 years because of stable working hours, having the conditions to take her children to school, and her workplace is 1.5km away from home. However, the salary is too low compared to the spending pressure of a family with 2 young children, making her no longer motivated to stick to her old job. Currently, in addition to working as an accountant for 3 businesses, Ms. Quynh also collaborates with close friends to sell some specialties from Thanh Hoa such as spring rolls, seafood, fish sauce... "The current total income is nearly 3 times higher than when I used to work in the old agency. Although it is more difficult, I still proactively balance and arrange work, so everything is fine," Ms. Quynh shared.
For many young workers, formal employment was once considered a safe destination: with contracts, insurance, and a career path. However, current reality shows that low wages, slow growth, while increasing work pressure have reduced the attractiveness of this sector.
Conversely, flexible jobs are easy to get into, quickly get money. For young workers, the factor of flexible time and proactive income is prioritized over long-term benefits that they believe are "far away".
Security - a concept that is still far from young people
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Sciences, said that another deep-seated reason why young workers leave their official jobs is that social security is not really attractive to young people. Many people believe that social insurance is a story of a distant future, while immediate needs are rent, living expenses, tuition and even other wide open opportunities.
The fact that young workers leave their insurance jobs is not simply a personal choice, but a signal that the quality of official employment is having problems. When insurance jobs are not enough to live on, workers are forced to find other ways," Ms. Lan Huong said.
In Hanoi, statistics from the Hanoi Employment Service Center show that at the end of 2025, early 2026, job-seeking workers mainly focus on the age group from 25-34 years old, this number accounts for 45 - 50% of total demand.
Notably, the demand for labor recruitment of businesses also mainly focuses on young workers aged 18-25, accounting for about 50% of the total demand. This figure means that young workers have many job choices suitable for their professional qualifications and abilities.
