The problem is not just how many people to train
According to the Hanoi Employment Service Center, in the first half of 2026, the labor market had many positive changes. GRDP increased by 8.10% compared to the same period; nearly 10,000 newly established businesses, creating jobs for about 52,400 workers.
Recruitment demand is concentrated in the fields of trade - services, processing industry, information technology, logistics, finance - banking, digital marketing and high-quality service industries.
Notably, businesses are increasingly prioritizing workers with expertise, vocational skills and technology application capabilities. Although recruitment demand is increasing, many businesses still face difficulties in finding workers to meet job requirements.
Sharing about the issue of training and labor use, Dr. Nguyen Chi Truong - Head of the Vocational Skills Department, Department of Vocational Education and Continuing Education (Ministry of Education and Training) - said that the core issue is not only how many people are trained but how to train them to achieve the highest efficiency.
According to him, salary payment and job arrangement should be based on the actual capacity assessment results, instead of just based on qualifications or training forms. Vietnam is also facing the reality that the gap between training and the actual requirements for professional skills of businesses is increasingly difficult to distinguish in recruitment, while the mechanism for recognizing professional skills level with the participation of parties is not really complete.
Dr. Nguyen Chi Truong proposed building a closer connection system between management agencies, training institutions and businesses. In which, management agencies need to complete the legal corridor to connect education with market needs; training institutions should strongly shift to developing vocational skills and expert skills; and businesses need to participate in the process of identifying and providing requirements for vocational skills development, building training programs and clearly defining human resource standards.
Three-party cooperation model
Mr. To Xuan Giao - Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Vocational Education Association - said that businesses' deeper participation in training is creating positive changes. Some businesses have supported schools with equipment, production models and coordinated to build programs, helping learners access technology similar to real production lines.
However, the "mismatch" between training and business needs still exists. Many cooperation agreements between schools and businesses are only in form, not binding specific responsibilities. Many students still have to find internship places themselves, making it difficult for schools to monitor the skills training process and businesses have to retrain them when recruiting.
According to Mr. To Xuan Giao, it is necessary to shift businesses from a purely recruitment position to a part of the training process. It is possible to promote a tripartite cooperation model between schools, students and businesses, in which businesses participate in training, receive internships and have recruitment commitments; learners are clearly aware of their career path and job opportunities after graduation.
In addition, the open learning model needs to be developed so that vocational learners can continue to study at colleges, universities or higher levels, thereby eliminating the mentality of valuing degrees and promoting lifelong learning.
According to experts, human resource training needs to be placed in the development planning of each locality. Localities attracting large projects need to simultaneously determine human resource needs in terms of quantity, industry and qualifications, instead of waiting for the project to go into operation before starting to look for labor.
