Aligning skills with ASEAN standards
On 21 August 2026, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Department of Vocational and Continued Education under the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) co-organised a national workshop in Hanoi. The event centred on the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) and Vietnam’s AQRF Referencing Report. More than 80 representatives attended from central ministries, provincial education departments, universities, vocational institutions and business associations.
All 34 provinces and centrally governed cities were present. The breadth of attendance signals broad institutional commitment to the reform. The AQRF allows direct comparison of education and skills qualifications across ASEAN member states, supporting both worker mobility and lifelong learning through formal and informal routes.
MOET’s AQRF Referencing Report received endorsement from the AQRF Committee in October 2025 and was published in December 2025. That milestone positions Vietnamese degrees and certificates as transparent and comparable across the region. It also builds trust with employers and regulators in neighbouring markets.
What does the gap in certification mean for investors?
Social security research data show that formally certified workers accounted for roughly 29.1 per cent of Vietnam’s labour force in Q2 2025. Ministry of Home Affairs figures place the total labour force at around 53.6 million in Q1 2026. That combination — large workforce, low formal certification — is central to investor thinking.
Vietnam has become a key node in regional supply chains. Manufacturers diversifying away from China have expanded capacity in electronics, apparel and auto components. However, limited cross-border recognition of qualifications has constrained worker mobility and made it harder for multinationals to benchmark skills consistently. The AQRF alignment directly addresses that gap.
Mitsue Pembroke, Officer-in-Charge at IOM Vietnam, told workshop delegates that effective qualification referencing helps migrant workers access jobs that truly reflect their competencies and secure equal benefits. She added that the process reinforces government efforts to build high-quality human resources for both domestic and overseas markets.
Scale of overseas labour deployment
Vietnam sent more than 144,000 workers abroad in 2025, exceeding its annual plan by 11 per cent, according to government deployment data. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea absorbed the largest share. The overseas stock of Vietnamese workers reached close to 900,000 by end-2025. Policy documents indicate that authorities aim to raise the share of skilled workers in annual outbound flows to around 40 per cent by 2030.
For investors, this matters in two ways. First, portable qualifications anchor manufacturing investment by giving firms a more predictable skills base. Recruitment market analysis for H1 2026 notes that Vietnam’s hiring market remained resilient despite global headwinds, with shortages emerging in advanced manufacturing and digital services. Second, clearer skills signalling makes Vietnam a more effective exporter of labour to high-income markets, supporting remittance flows and household incomes.
Domestic reform running in parallel
New regulations on the Vietnam National Qualifications Framework, issued in mid-2026, modernise qualification levels and align descriptors with AQRF benchmarks. Policy guidance calls for stronger business participation and mutual recognition of vocational certificates with partner countries. The Employment Law, passed in June 2025 and effective from January 2026, establishes a comprehensive framework for labour registration, market information and employment services.
A national job exchange platform launched in April 2026 links workers, businesses and state agencies. It improves matching efficiency and generates better data for workforce planning. These reforms sit alongside broader ambitions, including a $383 million boost to strategic technology infrastructure announced earlier in 2026.
Party General Secretary and State President To Lam has stressed the need for a modern, internationally integrated labour market. That political signal points to enduring support for human capital investment at the highest level of government.
From cost advantage to capability
For development finance institutions and corporate investors, the AQRF referencing process is more than administrative procedure. It is part of a wider move to shift Vietnam up the value chain and sustain FDI-led growth. As one senior analyst in Ho Chi Minh City put it: ‘Vietnam’s decision to hard-wire its qualifications framework into ASEAN standards positions its workforce as a regional asset rather than just a low-cost input.’
As Vietnam rolls out its post-referencing action plan, investors should watch for sector-specific skills councils, new recognition agreements with partner countries, and evidence that certificate coverage is rising from today’s sub-30 per cent level. Those signals will show whether Vietnam workforce competitiveness is shifting from a cost story towards a durable, skills-based proposition.
Quick answers
The AQRF is a regional tool that allows direct comparison of education and skills qualifications across ASEAN member states. Vietnam’s AQRF Referencing Report was endorsed in October 2025, making Vietnamese degrees and certificates more portable and comparable across the region.
Vietnam sent more than 144,000 workers abroad in 2025, exceeding its annual plan by 11 per cent, with an overseas stock of close to 900,000 workers by end-2025. Authorities aim to raise the share of skilled workers in annual outbound flows to around 40 per cent by 2030.
Social security research data show that formally certified workers accounted for roughly 29.1 per cent of Vietnam’s labour force in Q2 2025, against a total labour force of around 53.6 million people in Q1 2026.
