The official base salary increases to 2,530,000 VND/month from July 1, according to Decree 161/2026/ND-CP.
Besides the direct impact on the public sector, this regulation is also of particular concern to the business community due to its impact on some obligations related to social insurance, and at the same time contributes to shaping the income expectations of workers in the market.
According to Ms. Dang Ngoc Thu Thao - Director of Outsourcing & Labor Leasing Services, Manpower Vietnam, the group most clearly affected by the adjustment of the base salary are businesses with a large proportion of workers enjoying high salaries, which have reached or exceeded the salary ceiling as a basis for social insurance contributions.
When the base salary increases, the social insurance premium ceiling is also adjusted accordingly, leading to an increase in insurance premiums for both businesses and employees for this group of personnel. The impact will be clearer in economic centers such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where there are many high-income workers.
From the process of working with businesses in many different fields and scales, Manpower Vietnam predicts that the increase in the base salary may lead to three trends.
First, businesses adjust their personnel structure in a more flexible direction.
As labor costs increase, many businesses tend to switch to flexible labor use models such as outsourcing, project-based labor or remote work to optimize fixed costs and reduce management burdens.
According to ManpowerGroup's Q3/2026 Recruitment Trends Survey, many businesses are also adjusting their talent search strategies. Instead of focusing on recruiting in big cities with high salaries, they are expanding to localities with more competitive labor costs, while promoting flexible working models to both access quality human resources and control human resource costs well.
Second, businesses increase investment in technology.
Instead of continuously expanding the team, businesses will prioritize applying AI and automation solutions to improve productivity, optimize processes and maintain operational efficiency with more streamlined resources," Ms. Thao said.
The latest survey by ManpowerGroup also shows that nearly 3/4 of businesses in Vietnam assess AI as an important factor in improving labor productivity through daily work support, process automation and business strategy development support.
Third, businesses can accelerate the process of personnel restructuring.
Although recruitment demand in the market is still positive, ManpowerGroup's Q3/2026 Recruitment Trends Report shows that the percentage of businesses expected to increase recruitment in the July-September period is still high, reaching 49%, but has decreased by 14 percentage points compared to Q2. Meanwhile, the percentage of businesses planning to maintain or narrow down the scale of personnel increased slightly.
According to Ms. Thao, this trend takes place in the context of increased base salaries, causing labor costs and related expenses to increase for some businesses. Therefore, instead of expanding personnel, a part of businesses will prioritize restructuring the team, streamlining operating positions and focusing on improving the efficiency of using existing human resources.
According to experts, these changes do not mean that businesses are cutting recruitment on a large scale, but reflect a more selective recruitment trend. Businesses will prioritize positions that create direct value for business operations, while balancing between personnel costs, technology application and improving labor productivity to adapt to the new context.
