Young workers officially leave jobs

When an official job is no longer residential

Mr. Ngo Duy Ngoc, born in 1995, used to be an architect working at a famous design, construction and construction company in Hanoi. After 5 years of working with the company, at the end of 2023, Mr. Ngoc quit his job and became a freelance architect.

The reason for quitting the job, according to Mr. Ngoc, was not satisfied with the company's salary sharing plan.

"For each design project, the architect's efforts are huge. We have to put a lot of effort into researching the specific characteristics of each project according to the very personal requirements of customers. With increasingly high requirements for aesthetics and function, if you do not meet the requirements of customers, it means that the company will lose customers, you will lose income. However, the rate of 50 50 50 50/350 for each project, based on a low basic income, is no longer an attractive condition, especially for people with experience or who are "hard" at work," said Mr. Ngoc.

Currently, Mr. Ngoc works as a freelance architect. "Although my work is not as regular as when I was at the company, the agreed price makes my total income double compared to before, and the working time is also much more proactive and flexible," said Mr. Ngoc.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Quynh used to be an accountant at a State agency, headquartered on Chien Thang Street (Ha Dong Ward, Hanoi). After 8 years of working as an accountant, Ms. Quynh quit her job and became a freelance accountant, working according to orders from agencies and units recommended by her family and relatives.

According to Ms. Quynh, she has been attached to her old job for 8 years because of her stable working time, the conditions to take her child to school, and the workplace is 1.5km from home. However, the salary is too low compared to the spending pressure of a family with 2 young children, making her no longer motivated to stick with her old job. Currently, in addition to being an accountant for 3 businesses, Ms. Quynh also cooperates with her close friends to sell some other Thanh Hoa specialties such as nem chua, seafood, fish sauce... "My current total income is nearly 3 times higher than when I was still an agency. Although it is more difficult, I still proactively balance and arrange work, so everything is fine, Ms. Quynh shared.

For many young workers, formal employment was once considered a safe destination: with contracts, insurance, and career paths. However, current reality shows that low wages and slow increases, while the increasing work pressure have reduced the attractiveness of this area.

On the contrary, flexible work is easy to get into, quick to get money. For young workers, the factor of flexible weather and proactive income is prioritized over the long-term benefits that they consider "still far".

Social security - a concept that is far away from the young

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Science commented that another deep reason why young workers leave their jobs is officially that social security is not really attractive to young people. Many people believe that social insurance is a story of the distant future, while immediate needs are rent, living expenses, tuition and even other great opportunities.

The fact that young workers leave work with insurance is not simply an individual choice, but a signal that the quality of official employment is having problems. When jobs with insurance are not enough to cover their living expenses, workers are forced to find another way, said Ms. Lan Huong.

In Hanoi, statistics from the Hanoi Employment Service Center show that at the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, job seekers will mainly be concentrated in the 25-34 age group, this number accounts for 45 - 50% of total demand.

Notably, the demand for labor recruitment of enterprises also mainly focuses on young workers aged 18 - 25, accounting for about 50% of total demand. This figure means that young workers have many job options suitable for their professional qualifications and abilities.

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