VIETNAM’S UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN IN Q3

A worker is seen operating at a textile and garment factory - PHOTO: MINH ANH

HCMC – Vietnam’s labor market showed positive signs in the third quarter of 2025, with both unemployment and underemployment rates declining from the previous quarter and the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office.

The number of underemployed workers fell to around 696,500 in Q3, down by 102,700 from the previous quarter and 166,900 from a year earlier. The underemployment rate among working-age people stood at 1.5%, dropping 0.23 percentage point from Q2 and 0.37 point year-on-year.

By region, the underemployment rate was 1.26% in urban areas and 1.66% in rural areas.

In the first nine months of 2025, the country recorded some 764,200 underemployed workers, down by 150,600 from the same period last year. The nine-month underemployment rate averaged 1.65%, with urban areas at 1.24% and rural areas at 1.92%.

The national unemployment rate in Q3 was estimated at 2.22%, a slight decrease of 0.02 percentage point from the previous quarter and 0.01 point from a year earlier. The rate stood at 2.73% in urban areas and 1.86% in rural areas.

For the January–September period, the unemployment rate remained stable at 2.22%, down 0.04 percentage point year-on-year, with 2.53% in urban areas and 2.00% in rural areas.

Source: The Saigon Times