Most employees have resumed work at the factory, accelerating production to fulfill backlogged orders from the Lunar New Year holiday break.
Ms. Kieu Ngoc Hoa, HR senior manager at Samsung Electronics HCMC CE Complex, located in Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP), indicated that on February 3 (the sixth day of the first lunar month), 90 percent of laborers had already returned to work at the company on this day of reopening after Tet.
By February 5 (the eighth day of the first lunar month), the rate of workers returning to work following the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday in many factories reached 100 percent, ramping up production to meet pending orders.
According to her, the company organized around 110 “free buses” this year, facilitating laborers' return on time after the Tet holiday.
During the Tet holiday, the company's management and trade union also visited rental housing areas for workers to offer gifts and extend New Year wishes to those in difficult circumstances who were unable to return to their hometowns for the holiday.
Similarly, Yuki Vietnam Company Limited, located in Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, Ho Chi Minh City, reported more than 97 percent of workers returning to the company on the first working day. On February 5, 100 percent of employees were back at work.
Pouyuen Vietnam Company Limited, which is the company with the largest workforce in the Southern region, indicated that 33,276 out of 38,492 workers returned to work on February 3, reaching over 86.4 percent. By February 5, more than 91.5 percent of workers had returned to the factory.
Ms. Nguyen Van Hanh Thuc, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center, stated that amid new orders, businesses have planned recruitment and introduced various incentive policies to attract workers.
In 2025, the Ho Chi Minh City Employment Service Center will continue organizing regular monthly and quarterly job fairs, and also collaborating with districts, local authorities and relevant units to hold mobile job fairs.
These initiatives are to bring employment opportunities to workers, especially vulnerable labor groups.
Enterprises in need of employee recruitment
While a majority of companies have seen a high employee return-to-work rate, some have experienced a lower percentage compared to the previous year.
Despite offering benefits to care for employees during the Tet holiday and organizing means of transportation for workers, the rate of workers returning to Nidec Vietnam Company Limited, located in Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Park, after Tet was just over 87 percent as of February 5. The company is currently recruiting additional workers.
According to Nguyen Thai Thanh, Vice President of the trade union of Ho Chi Minh City's export processing zones and industrial parks, as of February 5, approximately 640 businesses with over 226,730 workers, reaching more than 97 percent in the city's export processing zones, industrial parks and high-tech parks have resumed operations.
Ms. Luong Thi Toi, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, added that as of February 5, over 90 percent of businesses in Ho Chi Minh City had resumed their operations, with 93 percent of employee return-to-work rate.
According to her, after nine days of the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday, Ho Chi Minh City's labor market showed numerous positive signs with recruitment demand increasing across almost all industries and sectors.
Through a survey of 3,072 businesses, high demand for seasonal and part-time jobs was reported, particularly in the commerce and service sectors.
Additionally, nearly 19 percent of businesses planned to increase their workforce after the Tet holiday with an expected increase of nearly 19 percent compared to their current labor force.
Director of the Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information of Ho Chi Minh City (FALMI) Nguyen Hoang Hieu stated that after the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday, the city's labor market is entering a dynamic phase with a strong surge in recruitment demand, especially in core sectors such as manufacturing and processing, commerce and services, information technology, logistics and banking and finance which are now requiring a significant workforce, particularly skilled and highly specialized employees.
According to forecasts by the Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labor Market Information of Ho Chi Minh City, in 2025, the number of workers in Ho Chi Minh City reaches nearly 4.78 million.
This year, Ho Chi Minh City needs an additional 310,000 to 330,000 workers. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2025, the city will recruit 79,000 to 84,000 workers.
