Young people attend a jobs fair in Bắc Kạn northern province. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Giang

HÀ NỘI — The labour force aged 15 and over in the third quarter is estimated at 52.7 million, an increase of 114,100 people compared to the previous quarter, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The overall number of people in work across the country has increased by 238,800 people compared to the same period last year.

In the first nine months this year, the labour force aged 15 and over was 52.5 million people, an increase of 210,600 people over the same period last year. The employed number was 51.5 million people, up by 212,000 ones compared to the same period last year.

Director of the Department of Population and Labour Statistics under the GSO, Phạm Hoài Nam, said that while the number of employed workers tended to increase, the labour market development was not sustainable when the number of informal workers accounted for a large proportion.

The total number of informally employed workers in the third quarter was 33 million, accounting for 63.9 per cent of the total employed workers.

It was down 1.3 per cent compared to the previous quarter and down 1.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

In the first nine months, the rate of informally employed workers was 64.6 per cent, down 0.3 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The average income of workers in the third quarter was up by VNĐ176,000 ($7) compared to the previous quarter and up by VNĐ519,000 ($20) compared to the same period last year.

The average income of workers in urban areas was VNĐ9.3 million ($370) per month, while in rural areas it was VNĐ6.6 million ($260) per month.

Director Nam said: “The labour market continues to recover, however, the labour quality still has many shortcomings and limitations, not meeting the demand of a modern, flexible, sustainable and integrated labour market.”

To date, about 37.6 million workers have not received primary training or over, while nationwide only bout 28.5 per cent of workers have been certified as having training.

According to the Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the global youth unemployment rate last year was 13 per cent and is forecasted to decline to 12.8 per cent this year and next year.

In Việt Nam, the unemployment rate of young people aged 15-24 in the third quarter this year was 7.75 per cent, lower than the global average, but still high. Compared to the general unemployment rate, the youth unemployment rate is always higher.

“The youth force is often equipped with better knowledge and higher qualifications. They have more opportunities to choose, so they do not participate in the labour market. They may not accept low-income temporary jobs and will delay until they find a suitable job,” said Nam. — VNS