Some bright spots
The newly issued Labor and Employment Report for the third quarter and the first 9 months of 2025 by the newly issued Statistics Office shows that the labor force aged 15 and over nationwide in the third quarter of 2025 is estimated at 53,300,000 people, an increase of 254,500 people compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 583,600 people compared to the same period last year.
The labor force participation rate in the third quarter of 2025 was 68.6%, up 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous quarter. In the first 9 months of 2025, the labor force aged 15 and over was 53,100,000 people, an increase of 556,300 people over the same period last year. The labor force participation rate is 68.4%, down 0.2 percentage points.
The unemployment rate among working-age people in the third quarter of 2025 is 2.22%, of which urban areas are 2.73%; rural areas are 1.86%.
The unemployment rate among working-age people in the first 9 months of 2025 is 2.22%, of which urban areas are 2.53%; rural areas are 2%.
The unemployment rate for young people (from 15-24 years old) in the third quarter of 2025 was 9.03%, up 0.84 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and up 1.30 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The unemployment rate of young people in urban areas is 12.42%; in rural areas is 6.86%.
The unemployment rate for young people (from 15-24 years old) in the first 9 months of 2025 was 8.38%, an increase of 0.47 percentage points over the same period last year. Of which, the unemployment rate of urban youth is 11.24%.
The labor market is not sustainable
According to Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment, despite achieving some important achievements, in the last months of the year, the labor market will face 2 major challenges.
Firstly, the labor market is not developing sustainably when the number of informal workers accounts for a large proportion.
Mr. Trung cited that the total number of informal workers (including workers in agricultural, forestry and fishery households) in the third quarter of 2025 was 32,600,000 people, accounting for 62.4% of the total number of employed workers.
"Thus, for every 100 people with jobs, more than 62 people work in the informal sector, meaning unsustainable jobs, unstable income and facing many risks" - Mr. Trung said.
Second, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15-24 is more than 4 times higher than the overall unemployment rate.
The unemployment rate among working-age people in the third quarter of 2025 and the first 9 months of the year is 2.22%, while the unemployment rate for young people (from 15-24 years old) in the third quarter of 2025 is 9.03%.
This is a very worrying number. The youth force aged 15-24 is considered a young, energetic generation, well-educated and well-trained, but the unemployment rate is 4 times higher than the average market rate. This reality also shows that efforts to create jobs among young people are not really effective. Relevant agencies must review training and job connection policies for young people, so that they are close, accurate, and match market demand to reduce the unemployment rate in this age group to a low level" - Mr. Le Quang Trung emphasized.
Mr. Trung predicts that the market will be vibrant at the end of the year, due to good production and business conditions, increased exports and positive foreign investment. In addition, many public investment projects have been implemented in the country to help increase job supply.
At the end of the year, many industries will increase recruitment, especially the technology, trade, service, AI, construction, logistics industries... will attract many workers. "Experimented workers will have more opportunities to find better jobs in businesses and organizations" - Mr. Trung informed.
However, Mr. Trung noted that in the last months of the year, freelance workers and long-term unemployed workers without good skills will have a hard time participating in the market. This group must re-evaluate themselves, be more realistic, even accept a job with a lower income than their previous job to have a job and income. At the same time, you must know how to find a job through consulting organizations, job service centers, participate in training courses to improve knowledge and skills...
Mr. Trung also said that local employment service centers must provide correct, sufficient and regular information for workers to grasp; should organize sessions focusing on the market sector that needs a lot of workers, best organized according to a separate topic.
Enterprises are more strict in recruitment
Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Employment Service Center - said that in the last months of the year, in Hanoi, businesses will be more strict in recruitment.
For unskilled workers, businesses have high health requirements so that workers can meet the work intensity in factories, production lines or construction works.
For the group of qualified workers, in addition to qualifications, businesses require candidates with in-depth professional skills, practical experience and most importantly, the ability to keep up with the rhythm and take on work immediately.
In addition, the last months of the year serve the Tet market, so the labor market also needs a lot of human resources in the trade and service sector. This also means that it will create many job opportunities for the retail, e-commerce, logistics and food and beverage services, entertainment, etc.
