Over 1.4 million people become unemployed in 2021 due to COVID-19: GSO
More than 1.4 million Vietnamese were unemployed in 2021, up 203,700 from the previous year or 17 percent, due to impacts of the worst-ever fourth wave of COVID-19 infections for months, data from the General Statistics Office (GSO) showed.
Hanoi (VNA) – More than 1.4 million Vietnamesewere unemployed in 2021, up 203,700 from the previous year or 17 percent, dueto impacts of the worst-ever fourth wave of COVID-19 infections for months, data from theGeneral Statistics Office (GSO) showed.
The new strategy on flexibly living with the pandemic hasallowed the labour market to rebound in the final quarter of last year, GSODeputy General Director Nguyen Trung Tien told a press conference announcing thelabour data in Q4 of 2021 and Vietnam’s Human Development Index from 2016 – 2020 heldin Hanoi on January 6.
The workforce of 15 years old and above reached 50.7 million in Q4, an increase of 1.7million or 3.47 percent from the previous quarter. However, the figure is1.4 million or 2.7 percent lower than the same period of 2020, he noted.
The workforce participation rate was 67.7 percent in the lastquarter of 2021, up 2.1 percentage points quarter-on-quarter but down 2.6 percentagepoints year-on-year. The rate was higher in rural areas (69.3 percent) thanurban areas (65.3 percent).
Compared to Q3, the number of workers in the informal sectorrose by 7.4 percent to 19.4 million in Q4.
“It is obvious that the labour market was recovering but therecovery was not sustainable,” Tien said.
The workforce of 15 years old and above in 2021 was 50.5 million, down 791,600 from 2020. The urban workforce reached 18.6 million, accounting for 36.8percent of the total. There were 23.5 million female workers nationwide,presenting 46.5 percent of the workforce.
According to the GSO, monthly income averaged 5.3 millionVND (232.91 USD) in Q4, up 139,000 VND quarter-on-quarter but down 624,000 VNDyear-on-year. The average monthly income was 5.7 million VND for the wholeyear, down 32,000 VND year-on-year./.
The severe and prolonged fourth wave of COVID-19 seriously affected the Vietnamese labour market, pushing the rate and number of underemployed people in the third quarter this year to the highest level in the past 10 years.
Due to the fourth COVID-19 wave since April, the Vietnamese labour market has entered a severe crisis with numerous negative records in the third quarter of 2021, making it more difficult than ever for employees’ chances to find jobs.
A number of enterprises are restoring production and recruiting more workers as the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections has been partly controlled, thus creating more opportunities for labourers.
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Although millions of Vietnamese were affected by AO, only over 626,000 individuals, including war veterans and their children suffering from dioxin-related conditions, are currently receiving state benefits.
A job fair in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)
