Solutions to reduce unemployment among urban youth

Unemployment is still "hungry" for jobs

Mr. Le Minh Hoang (23 years old in Long Bien ward, Hanoi) used to work as an interior designer after graduating from Hanoi Architectural University.

In September 2025, Mr. Hoang lost his job because the company cut staff. Since then, this young man has been struggling to find a job.

I look for jobs through many channels, from companies' websites to major job service portals. I have also attended interviews with 6 businesses recently but have not finalized where to work. Where I like the job, the KPI is a bit harsh. Where I like the salary and benefits increase roadmap, the job does not promote my strengths," said Mr. Hoang.

These days, Mr. Hoang is still "on the path to finding a job" - as the young man shared. Also according to Mr. Hoang, he is not too hasty because there is family support, so when he finds a truly satisfactory job, he decides to go to work.

Also "reluctant" to work like Mr. Hoang is Ms. Tran Tung Chi (born in 2004) who graduated from a college majoring in marketing. Ms. Chi currently lives with her family in Thuong Tin commune (Hanoi).

Since graduating from college, Ms. Chi has only worked for 6 months for a media company as an online marketing staff. "My job and the group's job is to write advertisements, post them on the company's website and partners to spread the brand to customers. The job is not too constrained, but the salary is only about 7 million VND/month, especially I see no future, so I decided to quit my job from December 2025," Ms. Chi said.

Ms. Chi said that she realizes the increasing risk of difficulty in finding a job because work is easily replaced by AI, so she is planning to study another major. Although there are many job opportunities related to marketing, Ms. Chi is still not enthusiastic because she believes that "not being able to develop her abilities and strengths".

Ms. Chi and Mr. Hoang are 2 of the many urban youth who are currently unemployed. The report on the labor and employment situation in the first quarter of 2026 of the Statistics Office shows that the general unemployment rate nationwide for the 15-24 age group stopped at 8.86%, while in urban areas, this figure jumped to 10.7%. This means that for every 10 young people in urban areas, more than 1 person is struggling to find a job. Meanwhile, in rural areas, this rate is significantly lower (7.8%).

Solutions to "cool down" urban unemployment

Mr. Vu Quang Thanh - Deputy Director of Hanoi Employment Service Center - analyzed that the unemployment rate of young people in urban areas is higher than in rural areas also due to the psychology of "voluntary unemployment" and the picky choice of careers of urban youth.

There is a difference in career thinking between the two regions. In rural areas, young people accept manual jobs, general labor in small production workshops or doing family economics. Urban youth tend to "wait for a perfect job". With certain economic support from families, many young urban people are willing to temporarily lose their jobs to look for high-income positions, luxurious environments or the right training expertise," Mr. Thanh said.

Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment - analyzed that the urban youth unemployment rate reaching 10.7% is a warning sign about wasting social resources.

To soon bring young people back to the labor cycle, Mr. Trung proposed 3 solutions.

Orienting training from secondary school level: It is not advisable to wait until university to provide vocational training. Career orientation is actually from grade 10-12, helping students access practical skills that the urban market is thirsty for (such as e-commerce, digital technology, logistics operations) early, which will help reduce the unemployment rate after graduation.

Supporting green and digital startups on the spot: Urban authorities need to have startup incubators specifically for young people, focusing on circular economy models or digital services. Instead of applying for jobs, encourage them to create jobs from their own technological sensitivity.

Connecting supply and demand through big data: Employment service centers need to apply AI to analyze youth profiles and business needs, thereby connecting more accurately, avoiding the situation where people who need jobs do not see jobs, and businesses who need people do not see people.

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