Companies hands out employment contracts to elder people at the job fair. — VNS Photo Thu Trang

Thu Trang

HÀ NỘI — At the age of 54 and still in good health, Nguyễn Ngọc Hạnh does not want her days to become repetitive - morning and evening exercise, cooking and cleaning at night.

Hạnh lives in Nghĩa Đô Ward, Hà Nội and retired seven months ago with a pension of VNĐ5.5 million (US$209) a month.

She still hopes to find a part‑time job for different reasons.

“My children are grown and have their own families. On weekdays my husband goes to work and I stay at home, which feels dull,” she said.

After more than 30 years working as an accountant at the post office, she chose to take early retirement to attend to family matters. In November last year she received her retirement decision.

Once family affairs were settled, she began considering part‑time work so she could socialise and meet people. Although her husband preferred that she rest rather than return to work, Hạnh longs for a light job to keep her spirits up.

For several months she has been searching through many channels for suitable work. She hopes to find a role that allows half‑day shifts and gives her Saturdays and Sundays off, so she can rest and spend weekends with her small family.

But she has only found service‑sector roles that require peak‑time work at weekends. As a result, she plans to look for opportunities at job fairs for older people or online listings to find more suitable positions.

Phạm Ngọc Chiến is in his twilight years but still wants a job.

After 12 years of service with the Veterans’ Association, Chiến, from Văn Miếu Ward, resigned following the policy to end activities of non‑professional commune‑level positions from July 1 last year. Eligible under Decree No. 154, he received support of more than VNĐ80 million ($3,000).

Since then, he has tried various jobs to generate income and cover living costs without a pension or allowance.

“I have tried a few jobs, but at the age of 71, my health is not suited to those types of work,” he said, adding that he wishes to do light work and can use a computer well but fears there are no such roles.

Hạnh and Chiến are two of hundreds of people who came to the job fair for senior workers, which was organised by the Hà Nội Department of Home Affairs.

This year’s fair attracted more than 30 companies, cooperatives and production and business units to recruit on‑site and online, offering a total of 497 vacancies, of which 250 were reserved specifically for older workers.

Recruitment focused on roles suited to the health, experience and skills of older people, such as security staff, guards, advisers, customer‑service workers, kitchen staff, assistant cooks, cleaners, hygiene workers, handicraft production, hourly domestic helpers and many other flexible, part‑time jobs.

Adapting to ageing population

Older workers receive career advice and job referrals at the event. — VNS Photo Thu Trang

Hà Nội is entering a phase of rapid population ageing. This reality poses a major challenge to social welfare, but it also opens a new approach if we recognise older people as a development resource.

Speaking at the job fair for older people, Deputy Director of the Hà Nội Department of Home Affairs Nguyễn Tây Nam said: “With their store of knowledge, experience, professional skills and the resilience built through long years of contribution, older people are a golden human resource for society.

"They can continue to contribute to the economy through production, business, transmitting skills, advising or training, in ways that suit their health and personal wishes.”

This specialised event is vivid evidence of the capital’s whole political system taking decisive action to implement Directive No. 35/CT‑TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening work for older people to adapt to population ageing.

Notably, in the context of the Politburo issuing Resolution No. 02/NQ‑TW on building and developing the capital in the new era and the implementation of the 2026 Law on Capital, Hà Nội faces major opportunities and a strong demand for human resources for socio‑economic development.

Creating inclusive, humane employment opportunities for older people is an essential step.

Supply and demand meet

Elderly people listen to career introductions at the opening session of the job fair. — VNS Photo Thu Trang

To prepare for the fair, the Hà Nội Department of Home Affairs directed 126 communes and wards across the city to survey older people’s labour supply and demand, while assigning the municipal Employment Service Centre to act as the focal point for employment advice and job matching, helping older people access job opportunities, vocational training and livelihood support policies.

In addition to recruitment activities, the fair included five vocational training institutions advising on retraining and skill‑upgrading programmes for older people.

The Hà Nội branch of the Việt Nam Bank for Social Policies directly introduced preferential credit programmes and provided loan consultation for job‑creation, job maintenance and expansion for older people; the branch also signed labour contracts and issued 20 loan agreements for job‑creation to older workers.

“Alongside in‑person job exchanges the city has been accelerating digital applications to expand access to jobs,” said Nam.

Since launching the Hà Nội Employment Portal on December 16 last year and the National Employment Exchange inaugurated by the Ministry of Home Affairs on April 13 this year, a digital employment ecosystem has gradually formed, creating an intelligent, transparent and free online job marketplace.

To date, the Hà Nội Employment Portal has attracted more than 1.2 million visits and nearly 15,000 accounts from jobseekers and employers. It has organised more than 1,140 online job‑matching sessions with participation from 1,400 companies, offered more than 4,000 vacancies and successfully connected as many as 3,100 job placements.

The Portal has created a dedicated section for older people, enabling them to more easily search for jobs, access support policies and connect directly with employers via the digital platform.

Deputy director Nam said Hà Nội organises about 250–260 job‑matching sessions each year.

“This specialised session for older people is particularly meaningful because it not only expands employment opportunities but also shows respect for the contributions of earlier generations, creating conditions for older people to continue contributing to the capital’s development,” he said.

Sharing the same view, Nguyễn Thế Toàn, chairman of the Hà Nội Association of Older People, emphasised that amid faster‑than‑expected population ageing, harnessing the intellect, experience and resilience of older people is not only a humane imperative but also an important requirement to tap the social resource effectively for sustainable development.

“Many older people remain in good health and possess expertise, vocational skills and management experience; they wish to continue working to contribute and improve their quality of life,” he said.

But, many still face difficulties in accessing work suitable to their health and qualifications.

The job fair is a practical bridge between older workers and businesses, vocational training institutions and employment support organisations.

“It also provides information, counselling and career guidance, creating more opportunities for older people to remain active in the labour market and to continue contributing value to their families, communities and society,” said Toàn.

The event is not only a practical response to the trend of population ageing, but also a strategic step to proactively implement the Central Party and Hà Nội Party resolutions, turning the experience and wisdom of the older generation into a driving force for the capital’s development in the new era. — VNS