Workers’ average income increase across most regions. (Illustrative image)

During January-March, the income reached 8.3 million VND (over 321 USD), rising by 1.6% against Q4/2024, and 9.5% against the same time last year. Workers in urban areas got average 10.1 million VND in the three-month span, 1.39 times higher than rural areas.

Across all socio-economic regions, workers’ incomes showed robust growth in Q1 compared to the same period last year. The north central and central coastal regions saw average monthly income rise by 11.7% year-on-year to 7.3 million VND while the Red River Delta posted the average worker earnings of 9.8 million VND, up 9.5%.

Compared to the same period of 2024, the average monthly income of workers in Q1 increased across all three economic sectors. The agro-forestry-fishery sector had the highest growth rate of 9.8% to reach 4.9 million VND. Meanwhile, the service and industry-construction sectors recoded a growth of 9.2% and 8.2% to 9.9 million VND and 9.1 million VND, respectively.

The NSO also reported that by the end of Q1, the employed workforce nationwide reached 51.9 million people, a decrease of 0.4% against the previous quarter but a rise of 1.04% year-on-year. Of this total, 20 million got employment in urban areas while the figure in rural areas was 31.8 million.

Deputy Director of the NSO’s Population and Labour Statistics Department Nguyen Huy Minh noted that although Vietnam's labour productivity has improved significantly in recent years due to the shift of workers from the agro-forestry-fishery sector to the industry, construction, and service sectors, the current level remains very low compared to other countries in the region.