Workers at a footwear factory in Hà Tây District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — The labour market has gradually recovered and achieved a good growth rate, Deputy General Director of the General Statistics Office Nguyễn Trung Tiến announced on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the press conference to review the labour and employment situation in the first quarter of 2022, jointly held by the General Statistics Office (GSO) and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

According to the GSO the number of people employed and the average monthly income of employees increased against both the previous quarter (the fourth quarter of 2021) and the same period last year.

The country's labour force aged above 15 in the first quarter of 2022 was 51.2 million people, an increase of more than 441,000 people compared to the previous quarter and 160,000 people compared to the same period in 2021.

The labour force rate in the first quarter of 2022 was 68.1 per cent.  

The labour force in both rural and urban areas increased by about 200,000 people, compared to the previous quarter.

Since the beginning of the year, the country still has more than 16.9 million people aged 15 and over being impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This number has decreased sharply compared to the previous quarter (a drop of 7.8 million people), a record since Việt Nam witnessed the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phạm Hoài Nam, Director of the Department of Population and Labour Statistics under the GSO, said the unemployment rate among working-age people decreased compared to the previous quarter, although it is still higher than in the same period last year. 

The average monthly income of employees in the first quarter was VNĐ6.4 million (US$279.6), up VNĐ1 million from the previous quarter.

The highlight was the sharp increase in the average monthly income of workers in the South-east region and the Mekong River Delta, especially in HCM City, to about VNĐ8.3 million ($362.6), an increase of VNĐ2.2 million compared to the previous quarter.

However, according to the GSO, despite the labour market in Việt Nam prospering in many ways, some unsustainable factors remain.

The number of people employed has increased rapidly, but much of that is in the informal sector which faces more uncertainties.

GSO officials also proposed to implement solutions to improve the business investment environment, support businesses and employees, and accelerate the implementation of the economic recovery and development programme. — VNS