Recruitment demand is 1.64 times higher than job search demand
At the end of 2025, when Panko Vina Co., Ltd. (My Phuoc 1 Industrial Park, Ben Cat Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) announced that due to difficulties with orders, it would terminate operations and could affect the jobs of about 2,700 workers, immediately a series of businesses came to the place or informed that they would re-recruit the workforce of Panko Vina Co., Ltd.
In Ho Chi Minh City alone, 8 textile and garment enterprises have a need to recruit about 3,600 workers from Panko Vina Co., Ltd. to work in new factories or supplement production lines.
In addition, there are many other businesses that need to recruit more workers from Panko Vina Co., Ltd. This shows that the demand for labor recruitment is always higher than the supply.
A report by the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center in 2025 shows that in 2025, Ho Chi Minh City had 191,790 people registering to find jobs. In the opposite direction, businesses have a need to recruit 313,681 job positions, 1.64 times higher than supply, showing that the market is in a state of labor shortage.
According to Ms. Nguyen Van Hanh Thuc - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, in the context of businesses expanding production and business, and increasing competitive pressure to attract labor, workers have more opportunities to access jobs.
Labor shortage forecast to continue in 2026
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters on January 5, Mr. Huynh Van Choi - CEO of Viet Hung Joint Stock Company (specializing in export garment processing, based in Trung My Tay ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that the company currently has more than 530 employees. For many months, the company has still had a need to recruit more than 200 employees with a salary of more than 9 million VND/person/month and an income of more than 11 million VND/person/month to meet the remaining vacant garment line, but has not been able to recruit.
And Mr. Le Van Lam - Business Director of Phuong Dong Garment Joint Stock Company (HCMC) said that the company is also in need of recruiting more than 650 workers with salaries from 6 - 11 million VND/person/month to work for the 2 new factories of this enterprise. Thanh Cong Textile and Garment Investment Trading Joint Stock Company recruits 500 workers in stages in the garment production line working in Tay Thanh ward, HCMC. However, to date, these needs have not been met.
And at the "Job Fair" program in Thoi Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City, for the first time in 2026, organized by the Ward People's Committee in coordination with My Phuoc Industrial and Urban Development Enterprise on January 4, 34 businesses participated with a recruitment demand of more than 10,000 workers, including many businesses recruiting from 400 to 1,000 people.
According to Ms. Nguyen Van Hanh Thuc, it is forecast that in 2026, Ho Chi Minh City's labor market will still maintain a state of oversupply. The biggest challenge is the risk of "supply and demand not being compatible", due to the large gap between the qualifications, capacity of workers and business requirements, clearly showing that in 2025, job seekers have high school and secondary school qualifications (more than 53%), while businesses need more than 178,440 professional workers with clear practical, technical and professional skills.
Another challenge is the competition to attract and retain workers, especially in Binh Duong province (formerly), where there was a large general labor force but labor fluctuations after Tet were always high. Therefore, businesses need to increase salaries, bonuses, improve working conditions and welfare policies to retain workers, if not adjusted in time, the risk of labor shortage in 2026 is entirely possible.
