Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is witnessing a drop in the birth rate, raising concerns over the workforce quality amid national development demand, according to the national survey results unveiled at a conference held in Hanoi on October 17.
The survey, conducted by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and local authorities, provided scientific data for feedback on the draft Population Law and to guide Vietnam’s human resources development strategy in the new phase. It was launched nationwide in August 2024, collecting electronic questionnaire data from 256,692 people aged 18 to 60. The findings not only capture the current state of Vietnam's population and workforce but also reveal distinct regional characteristics, enabling policymakers to craft sustainable and locally adapted demographic and human resources development policies.
VASS President Prof. Dr Le Van Loi said at the conference that the population policy should shift from rigid control toward a flexible model, using economic and social instruments such as taxation, housing incentives, financial support, and welfare policies. This approach, he said, will safeguard individual reproductive autonomy while maintaining a replacement-level fertility rate.
The survey results, he added, provide a reliable data foundation to help ministries, sectors, and localities pen policies that improve the workforce quality and promote sustainable development.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Vu Tuan Hung, Director of the VASS’s Southern Institute of Social Sciences and also head of the research team, noted that Vietnam’s population policies in recent years have mainly focused on controlling growth rates and adjusting the demographic structure. However, this approach, he said, is no longer suitable in the current context.
The survey found that 31.4% of respondents have no intention of having children, while 27.1% do not wish to marry. Meanwhile, the average desired number of children stands at 2.35, significantly higher than the actual average of 1.86 children per family, suggesting that Vietnam’s fertility rate will remain low without timely interventions.
As population means human resources – the most important factor of national development, Hung stressed that the population policy should pivot from control to human resources development, focusing on improving the population quality and ensuring gender balance.
He proposed adopting flexible and region-specific policies that integrate various tools like taxation, finance, housing, education, and employment to encourage childbirth and improve the population quality, helping meet the country’s sustainable development objectives.
Delegates at the conference said the 2024–2025 survey is significant as Vietnam is entering a new development phase, requiring high-quality human resources for the nation’s industrialisation and modernisation. Many noted that the findings not only provide valuable data but also shed light on pressing issues in Vietnam’s human development strategy, particularly low fertility rates, gender imbalances, and disparities in the workforce quality among regions./.
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