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The proposal to increase the regional minimum wage by an average of 7.8% from January 1, 2027 is expected by many workers to help them reduce spending pressure. Photo: VGP
The proposal to increase the regional minimum wage by an average of 7.8% from January 1, 2027 is expected by many workers to help them reduce spending pressure. Photo: VGP

Proposal to increase minimum wage by 7.8%, workers have more hope of taking their children to school

LƯƠNG HẠNH (báo lao động) 24/07/2026 11:05 (GMT+7)

The proposal to increase the minimum wage by 7.8% has received much expectation from many workers, contributing to helping them reduce spending pressure, especially the cost of raising children to study.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is seeking opinions on the draft Decree stipulating the minimum wage for employees working under labor contracts.

The main content of the draft Decree stipulates the adjustment of the minimum wage to increase by 7.8% compared to the current level to be applied from January 1, 2027.

The above-mentioned minimum wage adjustment is about 3.1% higher than the minimum living standard of workers by the end of 2027 to improve for workers.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said that this adjustment level shares and harmonizes the interests of employees and businesses, both paying attention to improving the lives of employees and paying attention to ensuring the maintenance and development of production and business of businesses.

Receiving this information, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tinh - a worker in Can Tho City said he was very excited and hoped that the increase would be applied soon.

Working as a worker at a business with an income of about 5-6 million VND/month, after paying rent, food and daily living expenses, the income is almost no longer available for accumulation. For me, just adding a few hundred thousand VND per month also helps reduce the pressure of rent, food expenses and household expenses," Mr. Tinh shared.

Anh Tình và nhiều công nhân bày tỏ mong mỏi việc tăng lương tối thiểu từ 1.1.2027 giúp người lao động cải thiện đời sống. Ảnh: Hạnh Linh
Mr. Tinh and many workers expressed their desire for a minimum wage increase from January 1, 2027 to help workers improve their lives. Photo: Hanh Linh

Sharing the same expectation, Ms. Le Thi Chu - a worker at a seafood processing enterprise in Tra Noc Industrial Park (Can Tho City), said that her family has 2 children of school age, so every month they have to carefully balance their expenses.

According to Ms. Chu, rent, electricity, water, food and tuition fees, books for children have all increased in recent years, while the income of the couple depends on the amount of orders and overtime hours.

My husband and I work mainly to take care of our 2 children's education. Each beginning of school year, we have to prepare tuition fees, uniforms, books, many expenses combined into a fairly large amount of money. If the minimum wage is increased, even if it is not much, it will help the family reduce pressure and have more money to take care of their children," Ms. Chu shared.

From the perspective of the grassroots trade union, Ms. Nguyen Huynh Tu Thanh - Vice Chairwoman of the grassroots trade union of Phuong Dong Export Food Processing Co., Ltd. (Can Tho City) - said that adjusting the regional minimum wage in the upcoming period is necessary and of practical significance for workers.

According to Ms. Thanh, the increasing cost of living makes many worker families have to tighten their spending. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage will contribute to reducing financial pressure, helping workers stabilize their lives and feel secure in sticking with businesses.

Increasing the minimum wage will help improve the lives of workers. This is a very necessary concern in the current context. We also hope that the adjustment will be implemented soon so that workers can enjoy benefits, have more motivation to stick with businesses and improve labor productivity," Ms. Thanh shared.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang - Senior Lecturer at the National Economics University, the goal of adjusting the minimum wage is to ensure that real income is not eroded by inflation, thereby helping workers stabilize their lives. When income is improved, workers will feel secure in working, improve productivity and be attached to businesses for a long time.

He believes that along with adjusting the minimum wage, it is necessary to strengthen social security policies such as supporting public transportation, healthcare, education costs or maintaining the stability of prices of essential goods.

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