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Ho Chi Minh City Faces Labor Surplus in Services, Shortage of Skilled Workers
๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Vietnam /Economy & Trade

Ho Chi Minh City Faces Labor Surplus in Services, Shortage of Skilled Workers

From Thanh Niรชn · (34m ago) Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Ho Chi Minh City's job market in April 2026 shows a surplus of labor in the service, restaurant, tourism, and retail sectors, with more job seekers than available positions.
  • There is a significant shortage of skilled workers, particularly in manufacturing and machine operation, where demand far outstrips supply.
  • The city's Employment Service Center provided job counseling and placement services to over 194,000 individuals in the first four months of the year.

Ho Chi Minh City, a bustling economic hub, is currently experiencing a notable imbalance in its labor market, as detailed in the April 2026 Labor Market and Employment Report from the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center. The report indicates a surplus of job seekers in sectors such as services, restaurants, tourism, and retail, where the number of individuals looking for work significantly exceeds the available positions. This situation contrasts sharply with other areas of the economy where skilled labor is in high demand.

Specifically, the report highlights a critical shortage of skilled workers, particularly in manufacturing and machine operation roles. The demand for these specialized positions is substantially higher than the available pool of qualified candidates. Conversely, sectors like general labor and simple tasks, while having the highest number of job openings, also attract a large number of job seekers, leading to intense competition for these roles. The business and sales sector also shows a slight surplus of applicants over vacancies.

Adding to the complexity, the report also breaks down labor demand by educational attainment. For high school graduates, there are more job openings than applicants, suggesting a need for more individuals with this level of education to enter the workforce. However, at the university graduate level, the situation is reversed, with more graduates seeking employment than there are positions available, indicating a potential mismatch between higher education output and market needs. The Employment Service Center remains active in bridging these gaps, offering various services including job fairs, skills training, and career counseling to both job seekers and employers.

4 thรกng qua, trung tรขm thแปฑc hiแป‡n 62 phiรชn giao dแป‹ch viแป‡c lร m; tฦฐ vแบฅn, giแป›i thiแป‡u viแป‡c lร m cho 194.228 lฦฐแปฃt ngฦฐแปi, trong ฤ‘รณ cรณ 10.977 lฦฐแปฃt ngฦฐแปi ฤ‘ฦฐแปฃc giแป›i thiแป‡u viแป‡c lร m vร  3.423 ngฦฐแปi nhแบญn viแป‡c lร m.

โ€” Nguyแป…n Vฤƒn Hแบกnh Thแปฅc, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service CenterDetails on the center's activities in connecting job seekers with employment opportunities.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Thanh Niรชn in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.