Contributing to the draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the Labor Code, the Archives Law, the Gender Equality Law, and the Red Cross Activities Law, Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd. proposed revising the regulation to increase overtime hours to 400 per year, potentially 500 hours for certain specific industries. The company currently employs 22,000 workers across three factories in Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi), Que Vo, and Tien Son (Bac Ninh).

The current Labor Code limits overtime to no more than 4 hours per day, 40 hours per month, and 200 hours per year. A maximum overtime framework of 300 hours per year is extended to several specific sectors, including: manufacturing and processing for export of textiles, garments, leather, footwear, agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, electricity generation and supply, telecommunications, oil refining, water supply and drainage, match production, and electronics.

Workers on an electronics production line in Bac Ninh. Photo: Gia Doan

Canon Vietnam states that current overtime regulations lack flexibility and do not align with practical realities. While major industrial parks face a severe shortage of unskilled labor, making recruitment difficult, factories are unable to mobilize existing workers to compensate, leading to production disruptions and reduced contributions to the state budget.

"Many workers voluntarily want to work overtime to improve their lives, especially when the average income for unskilled labor is 7-10 million VND per month, but living costs are high," the company commented, citing a 2023 survey by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor which found that over 76% of workers voluntarily work overtime for additional income. The desired overtime hours were approximately 47,3 hours per month. Meanwhile, developed countries like Japan also allow for increased overtime, up to 45 hours per month and 360 hours per year, with exceptions.

Canon also proposed increasing the probation period for unskilled workers to 15 days instead of the current maximum of 6 days. The reason given is that the shorter period is insufficient to assess performance, particularly for jobs requiring dexterity and the ability to work under pressure on a production line, such as assembly, packaging, and equipment operation. The company incurs repeated recruitment and training costs due to high turnover after probation. Workers also suffer disadvantages and face unfair evaluation before they have time to adapt to the environment, especially younger individuals.

However, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the agency leading the drafting of the bill, does not agree to include this proposal in the draft. The goal of amending the Labor Code is to enhance implementation effectiveness, especially for core provisions. Regarding working hours and rest periods, the aim is to encourage businesses to develop reasonable labor utilization plans to reduce reliance on extended overtime.

The draft law is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval during the session in 10/2026.

Hong Chieu