Vietnam Trade Union proposes to increase minimum wage from January 1, 2026

On the morning of June 26, at the first meeting of the National Wage Council, a representative of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) proposed to increase the regional minimum wage from January 1, 2026, with the highest increase being 9.2%.

The first meeting of the National Wage Council, morning of June 26. Photo: HA ANH

The proposal was made based on a field survey from March to April 2025 in 10 major provinces and cities across the country, with nearly 3,000 workers participating.

The results showed that 26.3% of workers are living on a shoestring budget; 7.9% are not making ends meet and have to work extra jobs to make ends meet. Only 54.9% of workers said their income is enough to cover basic expenses.

Notably, 12.5% of workers regularly have to borrow money to stabilize their lives and only 55.5% can afford to eat meat and fish in their main meals.

Low wages not only affect quality of life, but also hinder the decision to start a family (72.6%) and have more children (72.5%). Education and health care costs are also a burden: 53.3% of workers can only cover part of the cost of education ; 5.6% cannot afford medicine or medical care.

Based on legal grounds such as Article 91 of the 2019 Labor Code and Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW on reforming wage policy, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor believes that adjusting the minimum wage is urgent to ensure the minimum living standard of workers, especially when labor productivity in 2024 increases by 5.88% (exceeding the target assigned by the National Assembly ).

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed two options for increasing the monthly minimum wage and recommended determining the hourly minimum wage based on conversion from monthly wages with an adjustment coefficient. According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the wage increase will not only improve the lives of workers but also motivate businesses to improve productivity and unite workers.

2 options proposed by Vietnam Trade Union

The National Wage Council currently has 17 members, chaired by Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Manh Khuong. The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor is represented by Mr. Ngo Duy Hieu, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, as Vice Chairman of the Council. The Council will continue to hold meetings to negotiate, discuss and agree on the final plan.

PHUC VAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cong-doan-viet-nam-de-xuat-tang-luong-toi-thieu-tu-ngay-1-12026-post801221.html