Businesses are becoming increasingly strict
Ms. Cao Thuy Anh - Director of THT Trading & Export Company (Thanh Liet ward, Hanoi) - said that in about 1 year, the company's personnel recruitment criteria have changed a lot compared to the previous period.
We have about 200 officials and employees working at the headquarters in Hanoi and 2 branches in Da Nang and Hai Phong. Previously, there was a period of 3-4 years when the company did not recruit new people because the old apparatus operated stably. Since digital technology and AI have had a profound impact on all aspects of life, our jobs have also changed accordingly. Many administrative and manual stages are replaced by automation and machinery; many new requirements also require personnel to study to improve their qualifications if they do not want to be eliminated," Ms. Thuy Anh said.
Also according to Ms. Thuy Anh, the idea of "recruiting experienced people" has completely disappeared from the company's recruitment rounds. Instead, young personnel with qualifications and knowledge of digital technology and AI become the top advantage.
In 2025 alone, we dismissed about 20 employees, mostly in the 30-40 age group because they did not meet the new requirements," Ms. Thuy Anh revealed.
Mr. Phung Duc Tung - Human Resources Director of a consumer goods manufacturing group in Lang ward (Hanoi) - said that the paradox of "lack of experience" appearing with workers over 30 years old is due to old experience not matching new requirements.
Businesses need people who can quickly adapt to new technologies, software, and new management models. Meanwhile, many workers over 30 years old have good experience but are biased towards old processes. Retraining requires time and costs, making businesses not enthusiastic," Mr. Tung analyzed.
Mr. Tung said that increasingly strict recruitment requirements also inadvertently eliminate this group of workers. Many recruitment notices prioritize candidates under 30-32 years old, requiring digital skills, foreign languages, and the ability to work in high-pressure environments. Although the "age limit" is not clearly stated, these criteria make it difficult for workers over 30 years old to access. Another factor is the cost problem. Workers over 30 years old often have higher expected salaries due to family financial burdens. Meanwhile, businesses tend to compare cost - efficiency, thereby prioritizing young workers with lower salaries.
Increasing requirements for personnel
According to many experts, the first reason why workers over 30 years old are prone to unemployment comes from the strong changes in the operating model of businesses. Digital transformation, streamlining the apparatus, and cost optimization are becoming a popular trend. This leads to the reduction of many intermediate positions, while requirements for the remaining personnel are increasing.
Mr. Trinh Ngoc Minh - Human Resources Director of Thien An Group (Ba Dinh ward, Hanoi) - shared that the digital transformation process is not simply applying technology, but is leading to a comprehensive change in the way businesses organize their apparatus and use personnel. Traditional management models, which require many intermediate levels, are gradually being replaced by software systems, digital platforms and automation processes. The consequence is that a series of positions that were once considered stable no longer play an essential role.
Notably, the group of workers over 30 years old often focuses on intermediate positions such as administration - human resources, accounting, coordination, operation supervision. These are positions that are easily streamlined when businesses optimize the apparatus. When a part of the job is undertaken by software or artificial intelligence, the number of necessary personnel decreases sharply, while the requirements for those left behind increase significantly. In addition, digital transformation also causes the standards for assessing labor capacity to change rapidly. Businesses not only look at the number of years of experience, but also put a lot of emphasis on adaptability, learning new technologies and multitasking. For many workers over 30 years old, especially those who have been attached to a fixed position for many years, meeting these requirements is not easy," Mr. Minh said.
Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center - said that unemployment in the age group of over 30 is not only an economic shock but also a psychological shock. Currently, current unemployment support policies are only short-term and not enough to help workers reintegrate sustainably. The biggest gap lies in retraining and career change programs suitable for middle-aged workers.
From a market perspective, it can be seen that workers over 30 years old are standing between two waves, one is that businesses are changing rapidly, the other is that adaptability is still limited due to lack of retraining opportunities. If there are no timely solutions, this group of workers will continue to be the group most at risk," Mr. Thanh emphasized.
