After 8 hours of working at the company, Thu Quynh (25 years old, residing in Hanoi) continued to handle external projects, lasting many days until 1-2 am. For Thu Quynh, part-time work is no longer an option, but a "safe buffer" to maintain income.
Currently an SEO employee at a technology company, in addition to her main job, Thu Quynh also accepts external projects and online clothing business. The prolonged work intensity has significantly reduced rest time.
Although graduating with a bachelor's degree in multimedia communication with honors, Thu Quynh said that income from her main job is not enough to cover expenses and save money, while the risk of losing her job is always present. To ensure finance, she is forced to maintain many sources of income.
If I only rely on a fixed monthly salary, it's just enough to spend, there is no surplus, for me it's a bit risky. I try to sleep only 4-5 hours each night to increase my income, but my body is always tired" - Thu Quynh shared.
Not only Quynh, Mr. Ngoc Minh (24 years old, residing in Hanoi) also maintains many jobs at the same time. In addition to his main job, Ngoc Minh works part-time filming and online sales in the evening.
Ngoc Minh said that income from outside work may increase significantly but is unstable. There are peak months, he almost has no time for himself and his family; but there are also times when the workload decreases sharply, and income is precarious.
Financial pressure makes Ngoc Minh always in a state of looking for more new projects. Not only overloaded with work, he also suffers pressure when the time spent with loved ones is increasingly less.
Working part-time helps increase income but also makes me overloaded, difficult to focus on each job, and sometimes reprimanded" - Ngoc Minh said.
According to a recent survey by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, 52.3% of workers work overtime, averaging 10.71 days/month; each day working about 1.75 hours overtime. Notably, 76.2% of workers voluntarily work overtime to improve their income, with an average overtime time of 47.3 hours/month.
This reality is increasingly common as the labor market is still volatile. Although the economy shows signs of recovery, many businesses are still cutting costs, streamlining personnel, increasing job pressure.
Along with that, increased living costs force workers to find additional sources of income. Many young workers choose to work freelance, do online business or take overtime jobs.
The development of digital platforms makes work easier to access, but also leads to increased labor intensity. Doing a lot of work becomes a way for young people to maintain their financial "safe zone", but comes with great pressure on time, health and long-term stability.
This reality raises the requirement to improve policies to protect workers, especially in managing working hours, ensuring income and occupational health care.
The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor proposed that localities remove difficulties in production and business to create stable jobs, and at the same time control inflation, stabilize electricity, gasoline and essential goods prices.
