Overall, unemployment continued to improve from 2024 but remained around 2.2%, roughly equivalent to the level recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the third quarter of 2025, the labour force aged 15 and above reached 53.3 million people, an increase of 254,500 compared with the previous quarter and 583,600 compared with the same period in 2024. The labour force participation rate was 68.6%, with urban areas accounting for 40.5% of the figure and rural areas 59.5%. The proportion of trained workers with diplomas or certificates reached 29.5%, up one percentage point year on year, reflecting improvements in the quality of human resources.

Across the country, nearly 52.3 million people were employed in the third quarter, an increase of more than 580,000 compared with the same period last year. For the first nine months, the number of employed persons was approximately 52 million, up 552,300 from the same period in 2024. Male workers accounted for 53.4%, while female workers made up 46.6%; urban workers represented 39.2% and rural workers 60%.

The number of informal workers continued to decline. In the third quarter of 2025, there were 32.6 million informal workers, down more than 412,000 from the previous quarter and 437,000 from the same period last year. The informal employment rate stood at 62.4%, 1.5 percentage points lower year on year. Over the nine-month period, this rate averaged 63.4%, down 1.2 percentage points, indicating a shift towards more formal employment structures.

The average monthly income of workers in the third quarter reached 8.4 million VND, an increase of 124,000 VND from the previous quarter and 747,000 VND from the same period last year. Male workers earned an average of 9.4 million VND per month, 1.3 times higher than their female counterparts. Urban workers earned an average of 10.1 million VND per month, 1.4 times higher than those in rural areas. Overall, the average monthly income in the first nine months of 2025 was 8.3 million VND, marking a 10% increase from the same period last year.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasised that the labour market is one of the three economic pillars and serves as a foundation for national development. The ministry is formulating a strategy for the development of Viet Nam’s labour market through 2045 and is implementing the Employment Law with six detailed guiding documents, expected to be completed by November 15, 2025.