Leaving formal work to seek initiative
Mr. Nguyen Phu Do (from Vu Thu commune, Hung Yen province) used to work as a warehouse manager for a fruit agency. After 2 years of working, in November 2024, Mr. Do decided to quit his job and work as a technology motorbike taxi driver.
My work starts in shifts. If working day shifts, working hours are from 8 am to 7 pm; if working night shifts, working hours are from 7 pm to 7 am the next morning. I and 2 colleagues in the same shift are responsible for opening and closing warehouses; exporting goods according to warehouse clearance slips; fully recording books and handing over, signing contracts with the next shift. When I first started working, my salary was 8 million VND/month, including 1 meal/day. Before I quit my job, my salary was nearly 11 million VND/month, and I was able to participate in social insurance," Mr. Do said.
Also according to Mr. Do, the reason he quit his job is because the time working at the warehouse "exhausts" his health and is constrained by time. Changing shifts and work schedules is very difficult because there is not much personnel to arrange for replacement. In addition, the job also has no future, promise, so Mr. Do decided to quit.
Without qualifications or qualifications, with a high school diploma, Mr. Do quickly joined the team of technology motorbike taxi drivers.
When I run out of work, I run out of money, I also don't have the opportunity to be picky about choosing a job, so immediately after quitting my job at the warehouse, I registered to work as a technology motorbike taxi driver, the job is unconstrained, with immediate income and more pleasant time," Mr. Do said.
Not only general labor, the job of driving technology cars, delivering goods, selling goods online to working freelance under projects... opens up opportunities for many other workers, including skilled workers. This is considered a "breakthrough" when official employment is increasingly unstable.
Ms. Be Thi Thu Trang (from Lang Son) used to work as an employee in a book publishing company after graduating from the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University of Education.
After 6 years of working, Ms. Trang decided to quit her job due to boring work, high pressure, and too slow income growth in the context of escalating living expenses.
Immediately after that, Ms. Trang took on a job for a publishing house as an editor. The job did not bring a sudden increase in income but was more comfortable in terms of working time, flexible location and receiving money according to products, making Ms. Trang more interested.
Each book I edit takes about 3-5 days, depending on the font size. The fee is paid immediately after editing. I don't have to go to the office, have more time to take care of my family and can even calculate to do another job," Ms. Trang said.
Many risks
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Sciences, the explosion of flexible employment is the result of many factors: Enterprises streamlining the apparatus, strong digital transformation; rapidly developing technology platforms; increasing demand for delivery and e-commerce services. In addition, the official job market has not created enough high-quality jobs and sufficient living income for workers. In that context, flexible employment has become a "firefighting" solution, helping workers maintain immediate income.
Ms. Lan Huong does not deny that flexible work brings many benefits such as ease of operation, no complicated procedures, and the ability to increase income by increasing working hours. However, the risks of flexible work are often not immediately revealed, but only appear after a long period of attachment.
Flexible work can be a suitable choice in the short term, but if it becomes a long-term path without preparation, workers are very likely to fall into a passive position," Ms. Lan Huong said.
Ms. Lan Huong also pointed out the high risks that flexible workers face: No "social safety net" to protect; precarious income, depending on the foundation; working a lot but difficult to accumulate; high occupational accident risk; broken social insurance participation process; difficulty returning to the formal job market and silent psychological and health pressure.
