Ms. Phung Thi Nga, 41 years old, currently living in Ha Dong district (Hanoi) is the sales deputy of a company specializing in imported furniture equipment. In March 2025, Ms. Nga lost her job after 1 year of the company gradually cutting staff due to many difficulties in business.
From a person with an income of 24-26 million VND/month, for the past 2 months, Ms. Nga has been receiving unemployment benefits of more than 5 million VND/month.
"My husband is a ward-level cadre, with a salary of just over 10 million VND/month, and I have been the main breadwinner of the family budget for a long time. Since I lost my job, my income has decreased, and my savings have not been much, so my family is in a state of "shock". I am also very confused because after more than ten years of working stably, now I receive unemployment benefits and am spreading my CVs to apply for jobs everywhere," Ms. Nga said sadly.
According to Ms. Nga, her eldest child is in high school this year. Initially, the family planned to continue sending their children to private schools - where they have been studying since high school. However, with the current economic situation, she decided to let her child take the exam to a "village school" near her home to reduce tuition fees.
Since April 2025, through acquaintances, Ms. Nga has interviewed at a number of companies but has not been accepted by any one. One of the most popular responses she received was "aning proficient but not agile, dynamic like young workers".
Currently, Ms. Nga is working as a sales associate for 2 agents specializing in consumer goods. "I sell essential items to each family, so the orders are quite even, however, the discount of the agents is low, so I earn about 7-8 million VND/month. I determined that in the next 2 months, if I can't find a job, I will have to consider another option, I can open a small restaurant at home," said Ms. Nga.
Similar to Ms. Nga, Mr. Nguyen Manh Duc lost his job at the age of 40, when he was an officer of a large mechanical company located in Bac Tu Liem district (Hanoi).
I was shocked to lose my job at the age of 40, even though I have witnessed many friends, including those working in state agencies, falling into a situation of recent job loss. However, I also do not allow myself to be sad for long because I still have to take care of and shoulder the burden for my family. I also understand that at this age, it is very difficult for me to compete with young, agile and healthy workers, so I low the standards to soon have a job and income, said Mr. Duc.
For nearly 2 months now, Mr. Duc has been repairing and maintaining household electrical equipment for residents of the apartment building where his family lives; and working as a collaborator at a refrigeration center.
"Income from cooperation with a refrigeration center is divided by each unit, depending on actual revenue. The work in the building where I live is quite steady because of the summer, the need for maintenance, air conditioning gas pumping and electrical equipment repair is quite high. In a difficult context, I am satisfied with an income of about 11-12 million VND/month, Mr. Duc shared.
Along with maintaining his current job, Mr. Duc also sent his CV to many places, contacting the Hanoi Employment Service Center. However, up to now, after more than 2 months of sending information, he has not been contacted by any unit for an interview.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Science - said that unemployed at the age of 40, workers face many difficulties and challenges. In recent years, losing a job at a seemingly stable age has been a reality in the job market. The "shock" for many people is being too confident in their experience and the "seat" they have been in for many years.
"The advice for this group of employees is to know yourself, know your staff, adjust the requirements to suit the employer instead of self-assessing yourself as a valuable candidate and the employer must meet the requirements to have a friend," said Ms. Lan Huong.
