Even as labour conditions showed signs of recovery late last year, Vietnam still had about 1.4 million young people aged 15 to 24 who were unemployed or not engaged in education or training in the fourth quarter, underscoring persistent challenges facing youth in the job market, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.
The figure accounted for 10.2% of the country’s total youth population.
While the number of young people who were neither working nor studying fell by 169,200 compared to the previous quarter, it rose by 124,300 from the same period a year earlier.
The rate stood at 11.7% in urban areas and 8% in rural areas. Young women accounted for 12.1%, compared with 8.3% among young men.
The unemployment rate among those aged 15 to 24 was 9.04%, higher than both the previous quarter and the same period of previous years.
Notably, youth unemployment remained more pronounced in cities than in the countryside, at 11.1% and 7.8%, respectively.
Among the working-age population, the unemployment rate stood at 2.2%, up from the previous quarter and unchanged compared with the same period of 2024.
The report clarified that an unemployed person is defined as someone aged 15 or older who, during the reference period, meets all three criteria of 'not currently in employment, actively seeking work and available for work.'
Figures for the whole of 2025 showed the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 reached 8.6%, an increase year on year. The rate was 11.2% in urban areas and 7% in rural areas.
The unemployment rate among the working-age population was 2.2%, down year on year, including 2.5% in urban areas and 2% in rural areas.
In addition, the report noted that in 2025 more than 772,000 working-age people were underemployed, a decrease of 81,300 compared with the previous year.
According to the National Statistics Office, the average monthly income of workers in Vietnam in 2025 reached 8.4 million VND (320 USD), an increase of 8.9%, or 685,000 VND), year on year.
Average monthly income for male workers stood at 9.5 million VND, compared with 7.2 million VND for female workers. Workers in urban areas earned an average of 10.1 million VND per month, while those in rural areas received 7.3 million VND.
The report also said that labour and employment conditions in the fourth quarter of 2025 showed clear signs of improvement, with growth in the labour force, the number of people in employment and average monthly income compared with both the previous quarter and the same period of 2024.
However, the figure of 1.4 million young people who were neither in education nor employment partly reflects the difficulties young people face in securing jobs, highlighting the need for authorities to strengthen career counselling, vocational guidance and early job placement support for youth. /.
