In Viet Nam, the proportion of workers with formal qualifications and certificates stands at only around 29.2%, while informal workers still account for more than 63% of the workforce, lifelong learning is no longer merely an encouraged option but is gradually becoming a vital requirement of the labour market.

The ILO’s recently released report on “Lifelong learning and skills for the future” shows that the global labour market is entering a period of profound transformation under the combined impact of digital technology, AI, green transition, and demographic changes. These developments are creating new occupations while also imposing new skill requirements on workers.

According to the ILO, workers in the informal sector and those with low educational level often have fewer opportunities to access formal training. Only 16% of people aged between 15 and 64 said they had participated in training within the year prior to the survey. Meanwhile, among full-time workers with long-term contracts in formal enterprises, the proportion receiving training reached 51%.

This gap reflects the unequal distribution of learning opportunities within the labour market itself. Groups with more stable positions continue to upgrade their skills, while vulnerable workers face greater difficulties in accessing training, despite being the most exposed to automation and technological changings.

In the current context, the skills gap is becoming a decisive factor in competitiveness of the economy. According to the ILO, the labour market increasingly requires a combination of digital skills, green skills, as well as cognitive, socio-emotional, and practical skills. Highly specialised AI skills in particular account for only a small part of total global skills demand.

Today’s labour market not only requires high-tech experts, but also a workforce capable of adapting flexibly, using digital tools effectively and possessing a mindset suited to a constantly changing working environment.

This shows that labour market not only requires high-tech experts, but also a workforce capable of adapting flexibly, using digital tools effectively and possessing a mindset suited to a constantly changing working environment.

“Lifelong learning is the bridge connecting today’s jobs with tomorrow’s opportunities, while also serving as the foundation for building a society capable of adaptation and sustainable development,” stressed Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General. For Viet Nam, this warning carries particular significance in formal enterprises.

In the context of the economy accelerating digital transformation, green transition and labour market restructuring, the quality of human resources remains a notable bottleneck despite the country’s large workforce.

In 2025, the rate of Vietnamese employees with formal qualifications and certificates reached only 29.2%, indicating that most of the workforce has not received formal training or does not possess sufficient skills to meet the demands of the modern economy. Meanwhile, the labour structure continues shifting towards a lower share of agriculture and a higher share of industry, construction, and services — sectors requiring stronger vocational skills and greater adaptability.

The current challenge lies not only in the shortage of high-tech skills, but also in the ability to maintain learning throughout working life. As technology evolves faster than traditional training cycles, the model of “learning once to work for whole life” is becoming outdated.

This reality requires a change in the approach to education and human resource development policies. Lifelong learning should be considered as a pillar of socio-economic development policy rather than solely the responsibility of the education sector.

Accordingly, vocational training programmes need to become more flexible and more closely linked to enterprise demand and the processes of digital and green transition. At the same time, short-term training models, demand-based training, and workplace training should be expanded to make learning more accessible for employees.

Policies should prioritise expanding learning opportunities for informal employees, rural employees, and low-skilled groups — those facing the greatest risk of being left behind during the transition process.

For many decades, academic qualifications were considered the “ticket” to entering the labour market. But in the era of AI and green transition, the factor that determines who can continue moving forward will no longer be the qualification already obtained but the ability to continue learning beyond that qualification.