Nearly 20 years attached to the garment factory, Ms. Le Thi Chua (worker in Tra Noc Industrial Park, Can Tho City) clearly feels the change in her salary through each calendar sheet.
After several job transfers, she went from a starting salary of just over 1 million VND to the figure of over 6 million VND/month (including seniority allowance and other allowances) as it is now.
According to her, if only receiving a fixed salary and allowances, not working overtime, the monthly income is only about 6.5 - 6.7 million VND. The number is just enough for living if living alone, it is difficult to bear the cost of raising young children.
To be more fulfilled, she and many colleagues have to choose to work overtime to compensate for income. On days with a large workload, income can be up to more than 10 million VND, helping her take care of her family.
However, behind that amount of money are the days leaving the factory when the clock has struck 9 pm in fatigue. Ms. Chua is concerned: "Salary increases are a joy, but the worry about price storms is always present. In addition to basic salary, we have to rely on overtime if we want to have savings. Knowing it's a trade-off for health, but there is no other choice.
Attached to the seafood processing line at Tra Noc Industrial Park (Can Tho City) for more than 15 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh said that the income of workers has increased significantly compared to when they first started working, but life is still full of pressure.
To date, total fixed income including basic salary and allowances reaches about 6.8 million VND/month. According to Ms. Hanh, if she does not work overtime, this amount of money is only enough to save for herself, making it very difficult to manage when having to rent a room, raise children and take care of family life.
To earn extra income, she and many colleagues often register to work overtime in the evening or on weekends. In months with many orders, total income can reach 10-11 million VND/month. However, in return are long working days, returning home late and the body exhausted after many hours standing in the cold factory.
Everyone is happy with the wage increase, but prices also increase accordingly. To have a little extra, workers still have to rely on overtime. Many times they are very tired, but taking a break from overtime is not enough to cover expenses" - Ms. Hanh shared.
Not only is it a private story of two female workers in Can Tho, newly released data shows that the income of workers nationwide continues to increase, but job pressure and income disparity still exist.
The Vietnam Labor Market Bulletin for the first quarter of 2026 with many notable indicators on employment, unemployment, income and recruitment trends has just been announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In the first quarter of 2026, the national labor force reached 53.6 million people, an increase of nearly 233,000 people compared to the previous quarter and an increase of nearly 688,000 people compared to the same period in 2025. The labor force participation rate reached 68.3%, of which men were 74.5% and women were 62.3%.
The number of people with jobs reached 52.5 million, an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 1.3% compared to the same period last year. However, the rate of trained workers with degrees and certificates only reached 29.6%.
The average income of employees in the first quarter reached 9 million VND/month, an increase of 329,200 VND (3.8%) compared to the fourth quarter of 2025; an increase of 705,700 VND (8.5%) compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Employee salaries reached 10 million VND/month, an increase of 622,000 VND (6.6%) compared to the first quarter of 2025;
In which, male workers reached 10.1 million VND/month, and female workers reached 7.7 million VND/month.
