The General Statistics Office (GSO) reported that the service sector was the hardest hit, with 72 percent of the employees affected, followed by industry and construction with 67.8 percent and agro-forestry-fishery with 25.1 percent.

Vu Thi Thu Thuy, Director of the GSO’s Population and Labour Statistics Department, said the number of employees aged over 15 in the second quarter was 51.8 million, down 2.4 million from the previous quarter and nearly 2.6 million year-on-year - the sharpest fall in the last decade and mainly in rural areas and among female labourers.

Jobs were lost in all sectors, especially processing and manufacturing, lodging and catering services, education and training, retail sales, and auto and motorbike repair services.

The rate of unofficial workers in the second quarter stood at 55.9 percent, a rise of 0.6 percentage points from the first quarter and 0.1 percentage points year-on-year.

Female unofficial workers are more vulnerable than men when the labour market is impacted by policy changes or natural disasters and disease, according to Pham Quang Vinh, deputy head of the GSO. VNA

Vietnam faces highest unemployment for a decade

As of June, 30.8 million people aged over 15 have been laid off, lost jobs or got fewer wages due to fewer work hours because of Covid-19, according to the Department of Employment.

HCM City promises support for workers laid off due to pandemic

The HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs would take whatever measures are needed in the second half of the year to safeguard workers’ incomes and jobs,