Workers at a textile factory in Bình Chánh District, HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has announced this year’s salary census at 3,400 businesses across the country, the result of which will be used to adjust the regional minimum wage in 2025.

The census findings will also be published as a reference for salary negotiations between employers and employees.

The companies are selected from 18 cities and provinces representing the eight economic zones of the country, which account for a large number of businesses and have a developed labour market.

They are the Red River Delta (Hà Nội, Hải Phòng, Hải Dương, Bắc Ninh, Vĩnh Phúc), the northeastern region (Quảng Ninh), the northwestern region (Hòa Bình), the north-central region (Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An), the south-central coastal region (Đà Nẵng, Khánh Hòa), the Central Highlands (Đắk Lắk), the southeastern region (HCM City, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu) and the Mekong Delta (Long An, Cần Thơ).

Hà Nội and HCM City have the largest number of firms taking part in the survey, at 700 and 800, respectively. Some 6,800 of their employees are expected to be included.

The survey will review employers’ wage changes following the most recent regional minimum wage adjustments, their impacts on business expenses, businesses’ compliance level, as well as the average wage, the salary structure and the lowest wage level among workers in 2023 and 2024.

According to the Labour Code, the minimum wage is the lowest salary paid to an employee working on the most basic tasks under normal working conditions, sufficient to ensure the minimum living standards of them and their families and aligns with the current socio-economic context.

The minimum wages are established according to economic zones and announced by the government based on recommendations of the National Wage Council, which convenes on a yearly basis.

The most recent regional minimum wage increase was on July 1, with wages up 6 per cent, compared to 2023. — VNS