A large number of laborers have returned to Hanoi for work after the seven-day Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Laborers are working at Dong Luc JSC's factory in Hanoi's Thanh Xuan District after Tet. Photo: VNA

According to the Hanoi Federation of Labour, 98% of total employees returned to the city to work on January 30 (the 9th day of the first lunar month).

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zones Nguyen Dinh Thang said that, on the first working day of 2023, (the sixth day of the first lunar month), nearly 40% of companies resuming operation at the Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zones (HIZA)  reported that more than 90% of their laborers have gotten back to work.

According to assessments from some localities, the first month of this year may not see job hopping because most employees want to have a stable workplace.

In the outlying district of Thuong Tin in Hanoi, 61 out of 91 enterprises resumed work on January 27 (the 6th day of the first lunar month). In some enterprises, due to specific job requirements, workers started working from January 26 (the 5th day of Tet), including Coca-Cola Company, New Orient Company, and Green Chicken Company. As of January 27, the number of workers returning to work reached 91%, almost 4,600.

At Elentec Vietnam Company Limited, according to Me Linh District’s Labor Federation, the rate of employees returning to work at the company is about 88% on the first working day after Tet.

Currently, the company with more than 3,000 workers manufactures mobile phone components. Its annual revenue is about VND5 trillion (US$213 million).

HIZA's Thang said that before Tet, most companies applied to pay and reward policies to retain a large number of workers after the Tet vacation.

In some industrial parks of other provinces, many workers have returned to work after the long holiday. At the Hue Textile Garment JSC, 5,000 workers have started working to fill export orders to the US thanks to the application of a pay and reward policy.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs reported that on the first working day of the Lunar New Year, the number of workers returning to work reached 95% compared to the period before the Holiday.

The labor federation of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan, and Tay Ninh provinces also reported similar results.

In general, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs forecasts that labor demand in the first few months will not be affected by Tet, however, in the second quarter, the labor market may witness layoffs in textile, leather, footwear, and wood processing industries, mainly in the south, due to a reduction in orders.

Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung told a recent conference that 2023 will be a difficult year for the labor market as the number of skilled and high-quality workers remain limited and some industries face labor shortages.

He added that the ministry will strengthen the review of the labor market situation and production and business activities to have measures to ensure the balance of supply and demand.

"In the long term, we will build a flexible, modern, sustainable, and integrated labor market," Dung stressed.