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Stakeholders at a recent technical meeting agreed that Vietnam can strengthen trade diversification, domestic industry, skills development, job quality, labour standards, and social dialogue to navigate future labour market transitions.
Vietnam took an important step toward reshaping the future of work in global supply chains at a technical meeting held on 4 December 2025 (Thursday), in Hanoi, where government agencies, employers, workers’ representatives, industry associations, academia, development partners, and UN agencies gathered to examine the country’s evolving role in trade.
In her remarks, Sinwon Park, Director of the ILO Country Office for Vietnam, highlighted the stakes:
"Strengthening the resilience and inclusiveness of supply chains will be key to ensuring that trade continues to generate decent work and supports just transitions for workers and enterprises."
As the meeting progressed, experts from the Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies provided an overview of Vietnam’s trade landscape in the global supply chains and new economic models while the ILO experts presented analysis on GSC-related employment intensity, exposure to foreign demand and sectoral vulnerability.
Representatives from key ministries, including Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, as well as industry associations and other key stakeholders discussed how these findings can inform ongoing trade, skills, labour market and social protection reforms.
The stakeholders agreed that Vietnam’s participation in GSCs must be complemented by proactive policies that address emerging challenges. As the country faces growing risks from geopolitical tensions, technological shifts, environmental pressures and demographic change, these forces may widen skill gaps, reduce job quality, and constrain SMEs’ ability to access higher-value segments of supply chains, it was highlighted.
The meeting closed with an emphasis that Vietnam can leverage trade diversification, strengthen domestic industrial linkages, invest in inclusive and demand-driven skills systems, improve job quality and labour standards, and reinforce social dialogue and inter-institutional coordination to manage future labour market transitions effectively.
"Strengthening GSC resilience while capturing opportunities in new growth areas presents a strategic opportunity for Viet Nam to advance structural transformation, move towards higher value-added activities, and expand decent work opportunities," ILO stated.
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Lead image / ILO
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