Talking to reporters, former Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (now the Ministry of Home Affairs), former Chairman of the National Wage Council Pham Minh Huan said that he wants the regional minimum wage to increase significantly, but it is also necessary to consider based on the capacity of enterprises, considering the profit margin of enterprises, plus many factors such as electricity prices, fuel prices, freight rates...
The Council always wants employees to receive a lot of salary increases but considers based on the ability of the business. Representatives of employers and representatives of employees consider and choose a plan that harmonizes the common requirements of the parties," said Mr. Pham Minh Huan.
Mr. Huan added that, based on the gradually increasing trend, he wants the minimum wage to increase to compensate for price slippage, ensuring real wages. If the business's capacity is good, it is possible to consider a higher level. In 2026, the regional minimum wage will increase from 7.1-7.3%, Mr. Huan hopes that this increase will be at least equivalent, higher is better.
Sharing the same view, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs said that the proposal for increasing the regional minimum wage is based on the economic growth situation but needs to pay attention to the lives of workers.
The Council should also consider the price increase factor to calculate the regional minimum wage increase. In fact, basically businesses in all regions pay workers higher than the regional minimum wage, but every time the regional minimum wage increases, businesses base it on increasing wages. I support increasing it to improve the lives of workers," Ms. Huong said.
It is expected that in the afternoon of June 23, the National Wage Council will hold its first session to discuss the minimum wage plan for 2027.
The Chairman of the Council is Mr. Nguyen Manh Khuong - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. The Vice Chairmen of the Council include: Mr. Ngo Duy Hieu - Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor; Mr. Hoang Quang Phong - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI); Mr. Dinh Hong Thai - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance.
Annually, the council organizes negotiations to recommend to the Government a plan to adjust the regional minimum wage (including the monthly minimum wage and the hourly minimum wage).
Currently, the minimum wage in region I is 5.31 million VND/month; region II is 4.73 million VND/month; region III is 4.14 million VND/month; region IV is 3.7 million VND/month.
The minimum hourly wage in region I is 25,500 VND/hour; region II is 22,700 VND/hour; region III is 20,000 VND/hour; region IV is 17,800 VND/hour.
