Vũ Quang Thành, deputy director of Hà Nội Centre for Employment Services (under the city’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs). — VNA/VNS Photo

Deputy director of Hà Nội Centre for Employment Services (HCES) Vũ Quang Thành speaks to Tin tức (The News) newspaper on recruitment trends among businesses in the north in the latter half of 2023.

What is your opinion on labour demand in the latter half of 2023 based on recent recruitment events?

In my observation, Hà Nội’s labour market has yet to see significant layoffs despite the effects of the general context of the world economy. At the beginning of the year, there are more than 15,000 newly registered businesses along with over 5,700 resuming operations, which increased recruitment demands. 

It is forecast that companies will have around 80,000 new hires from now until the end of the year, mostly in trade and services with positions in accounting, market research and quality control. For wholesale and retail, recruiters are looking for salespeople, cashiers and procurement staff. 

The manufacturing and processing industry also needs a large number of workers for production and assembling components, as well as mechanical and production engineers. Meanwhile, the construction sector is seeking technical supervisors, project technicians and architects. 

Has the number of people receiving unemployment insurance increased compared to the same period in 2022? 

The principle of unemployment insurance is that if you pay for it, it will benefit you. In the first six months of 2023, Hà Nội had over 43,500 people filing unemployment claims, an increase of 32 per cent compared to the same period in 2022. 

Among them, 42,892 people have been granted unemployment insurance benefits, equivalent to a 31.2 per cent rise compared to the same period last year. The average amount they receive from unemployment insurance is over VNĐ3.9 million (US$161) per person per month. 

Such changes in the labour market fit the normal trends. If there are people who start a new job, there are also those who quit and look for other opportunities. 

There are many reasons that make workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits, such as contract termination or expiration, company bankruptcy, organisational restructuring or layoffs. 

In addition, there are many people who change to a new position or sector. Some businesses might be going through a rough patch which leads to a reduction of working hours and less workload. In these situations, less income can result in resignation among many employees. 

Mobile recruitment events are organised for better accessibility for job seekers. — VNA/VNS Photo

What are the solutions from HCES to connect job seekers with employment opportunities in the near future?

We regularly organise hiring events in person, online or in a hybrid format. Several provinces in the north can coordinate for virtual recruitment events. These sessions have recorded a large labour demand in some provinces such as Bắc Giang and Bắc Ninh. 

Most of these demands are for technical and garment workers, security guards, cleaners, engineers, sales, marketing and customer services staff. 

The monthly salary range is between VNĐ5-7 million ($207-290), VNĐ7-10 million ($290-414), or even VNĐ10-15 million ($414-621) for some positions. 

Hà Nội also actively hosts mobile recruitment events in its districts, through which the district authorities can also survey and be aware of the number of workers in their area, thereby providing specific job advice, orientation and support.  

In the near future, we will actively collect data on hiring needs, especially among businesses to produce more accurate forecasts, thereby guiding job seekers to suitable employment opportunities. 

In the long term, we need to identify the root causes that affect the labour market, and then have support policies in place for business development. Only when businesses are in good health can they take good care of their employees. 

At present, the State has deployed supporting mechanisms for businesses such as tax reduction, trade and export promotion, and assistance in connecting with new markets and orders as well as in receiving loans. The labour market is expected to see improvements in the last months of the year. — VNS