Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Despite the pressures brought by the global situation to Vietnamese enterprises engaged in foreign trade, the labor market in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas still showed a positive development trend in the first quarter of 2026. Currently, local demand for labor continues to rise, but the labor supply is insufficient to fill tens of thousands of labor gaps, resulting in a significant supply-demand imbalance.
Currently, the domestic recruitment market in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas remains active. Statistics show that nearly 1,000 companies have completed recruitment registrations, covering various export processing zones and industrial parks, offering more than 36,800 job positions, providing ample employment options for the workforce.
Bao Yuan (Vietnam) Co., Ltd. is one of the companies with the largest demand for labor, currently urgently needing to recruit more than 4,000 workers. The core reason is that its orders are booked until the end of 2026, and the company is increasing its recruitment efforts to ensure timely contract delivery. The company's union chairman, Cu Phat Nghe, stated that the company has implemented several lenient recruitment policies: opening recruitment to unskilled workers and providing paid training; and relaxing age restrictions to attract experienced workers over 40 years old, in an effort to fill labor shortages.
Experts analyzed that the first quarter of each year is typically the peak recruitment season for companies to accelerate order fulfillment and supplement staff, which is a key reason for the consistently high demand for labor in Ho Chi Minh City. It is noteworthy that the demand for skilled, highly specialized workers in niche labor markets, while lower than for general positions, offers relatively high incomes, making it a bright spot in the market.
According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Internal Affairs, the current total demand for labor in the area has reached tens of thousands of positions. Nguyen Van Hanh Thu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, stated that tens of thousands of positions within the employment service system remain vacant and have not been effectively filled.
A survey by ManpowerGroup shows that 63% of Vietnamese companies expect to increase hiring in the second quarter of 2026. This data confirms the stability, vitality, and attractiveness of the labor market in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern region, demonstrating that the local employment market continues to maintain a positive growth momentum despite geopolitical fluctuations.
However, experts also point out that despite persistently high demand for labor, many workers still face difficulties in accessing job information. In response, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Employment Service Center, stated that the "Relay for Workers" program has been expanded to more regions, aiming to further strengthen the matching of labor supply and demand and help address labor shortages and employment challenges. (End)
