The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor is proposing a comprehensive amendment to the Labor Code to adjust working hours in the enterprise sector from the current 48 hours per week to 40-44 hours, aligning with the public sector's standard. This initiative aims to enhance worker well-being and, consequently, boost overall productivity.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, president of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, assesses that adjusting working hours below 48 hours does not conflict with or reduce labor productivity. On the contrary, this policy ensures better benefits for workers; with reasonable and sufficient working and rest hours, an enthusiastic work spirit helps maximize their capabilities. Workers with a balanced life are the foundation for business development, contributing to increased labor productivity—one of the factors helping to achieve double-digit growth targets.

Shift change for textile workers at Quang Chau Industrial Park, Bac Ninh. *Pham Chieu*

At the grassroots level, Bui Van Truong, chairman of the trade union at Luxshare-ICT Van Trung Company, Bac Ninh—a business employing over 30,000 electronics workers—assesses that labor productivity depends on many factors, not just working hours. A significant portion of this involves technology investment and corporate governance.

Citing the reality from foreign direct investment (FDI) manufacturing plants, Truong stated that to increase labor productivity, it is necessary to invest in machinery and production lines and provide advanced skills training for workers, especially foreign languages, to communicate with owners or senior management. In a competitive labor environment, this factory sends employees abroad for advanced training, where they become proficient in Chinese before returning to take on direct production roles. They will then directly retrain Vietnamese workers, contributing to raising the overall quality of the workforce as a long-term resource.

"If working hours are reduced by about 4 hours per week, businesses can still meet production volume and orders. However, there should be a roadmap for factories to gradually adapt," Truong said, adding that from the workers' perspective, they hope the policy will be implemented soon while ensuring their income.

Sharing this view, Dinh Sy Phuc, chairman of the trade union at Taekwang Vina Company, Dong Nai—a business with 32,000 workers, mostly female—assesses that reducing working hours would have little meaning if it were only an encouragement; therefore, it should be a strict legal regulation. According to Phuc, FDI businesses largely comply well with regulations concerning wages, social insurance, and welfare policies through collective bargaining with trade unions. However, establishing superior regulations on reduced working hours is very difficult, especially in the manufacturing sector; businesses will adhere to the maximum limits stipulated by law.

Reducing working hours is a trend consistent with the development process in many countries worldwide. Vietnam is not outside this trend, as the country's economy has achieved many successes, and workers should enjoy the fruits of this progress, not only through income but also through a better quality of life. Phuc stated that reducing working hours below 48 hours has been a long-standing goal of the trade union, so he expects the policy to be legalized soon during the 2026-2031 period.

Phuc also recommended that the labor law amendment should set a roadmap, initially reducing hours to 44 and then to 40, to align with the general trend. "Workers' recommendations regarding reduced working hours, aiming for a living wage instead of a minimum wage, preventing workplace burnout, and adding public holidays demonstrate practical expectations for improving both material and spiritual well-being: high productivity should also be accompanied by better income," he said.

Over the past three years, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has consistently proposed a roadmap to reduce weekly working hours for enterprise sector workers from 48 hours to 44, progressing towards 40 hours. These proposals were made through two National Trade Union Congresses (the 13th and 14th) and national forums on labor productivity. In the National Assembly, representatives have also raised similar opinions twice.

Working time not exceeding 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week was stipulated in the 1994 Labor Code. Employers have the right to regulate working hours daily or weekly but must inform workers in advance. In 1999, working hours in the public sector were reduced to 40 hours per week, while the enterprise sector has maintained 48 hours until now. The State encourages businesses to implement a 40-hour work week for employees.

The 2024 Labor and Employment Survey report by the National Statistics Agency shows that the average weekly working hours for laborers have continuously increased, from 42,2 hours in 2022 to 42,5 hours in 2024. In terms of proportion, about 46% of workers work 40-48 hours; nearly 29% work over 48 hours per week. By economic sector, in Quarter IV/2024, the average weekly working hours for FDI sector workers were the highest, over 50 hours; non-state workers averaged 42,5 hours; while the state sector averaged 43,3 hours per week.

According to 2019 statistics from the former Department of Labor Safety, Vietnam had one of the highest numbers of working hours in Southeast Asia, while its public holidays were among the lowest. Specifically, the annual working time for Vietnamese people was approximately 2,320 hours, lower than the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand, but higher than Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, and Cambodia.

Current law stipulates that workers under normal conditions must not work more than 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. Businesses have the right to set daily or weekly working hours but must inform workers; if weekly hours are set, they must not exceed 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week. The State encourages businesses to implement a 40-hour work week for employees.

The law limits overtime to no more than 40 hours per month and 200 hours per year. The maximum overtime limit of 300 hours per year is extended for certain industries, such as: manufacturing for export of textiles, garments, footwear, processing agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, electricity generation and supply, telecommunications, oil refining, water supply and drainage, salt production, electricity, and electronics.

Hong Chieu