Expectation vs reality : 32% of Ho Chi Minh City workers seek pay hardly any firms offer

Nearly 32 percent of workers in Ho Chi Minh City sought jobs offering a monthly salary of VND20 million (US$784) between 2021 and 2024, a rate that not many employers offered, according to a report on human resource development by the city’s National Assembly delegation.

A survey conducted annually by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information found that from 2021 to 2024, the city required about 285,215 workers each year, with a 9.5-percent growth rate.

However, a mismatch existed between job seekers’ salary expectations and the levels employers offer. 

While nearly 32 percent of workers sought jobs offering a monthly salary of VND20 million, only 9.8 percent of jobs offered salaries above that amount.

The breakdown showed 10.5 percent offered VND15-20 million ($588-784), 24 percent offered VND10-15 million ($392-588), 44.5 percent offered between VND5-10 million ($196-392), and 11.4 percent offered salaries below VND5 million ($196).

NA delegate Nguyen Thien Nhan explained this issue, calling it a legitimate need of workers that businesses have yet to meet.

A separate survey of 2,000 businesses showed that companies highly valued workers’ ethics, work attitude, and safety skills. 

However, their foreign language proficiency failed to meet the companies’ expectations. 

Nhan noted that businesses are generally satisfied with the quality of labor.

Nhan also emphasized the importance of developing both local and migrant labor forces, noting that Ho Chi Minh City’s local workforce is insufficient due to the city’s low birth rate. 

Between 2022 and 2024, the city employed over 4.7 million workers, with migrant labor accounting for nearly half of the workforce. 

Meanwhile, data from the survey of 2,000 companies revealed that 67 percent employed migrant labor, with migrant workers making up about 51 percent of their total workforce.

Nhan emphasized the need for improved care, training, and housing for migrant workers.

In a separate issue, 9,470 civil servants, mostly university graduates, resigned from their positions between January 2020 and April 2023, largely due to low salaries and benefits. 

The education and health sectors saw the highest resignation rates, at 42 percent and 43 percent, respectively, with young civil servants being the most affected.

Luong Thi Toi, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs, noted that the city’s public sector faces an overload, with each staff member serving 3.2 times more people than the national average.

By Bao Anh & Vu Thuy – Tuoi Tre News – March 15, 2025