Proposal to extend student working hours to 24 per week

Students register for part-time jobs at a job fair. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs has put forward a proposal to increase the maximum allowable working hours for students from 20 to 24 hours per week, updating the previous draft from March.

This proposal is included in the latest draft of the revised Employment Law, currently under review by the Ministry of Justice.

It suggests that students aged 15 and above, who are enrolled in formal education programmes, should be permitted to work up to 24 hours weekly during their studies, as long as they comply with existing labour laws.

In a significant change, the draft also introduces a mandatory minimum wage for student workers, moving away from the current practice where wages are determined by mutual agreement between employer and employee.

The proposed wage rates would align with the current regional minimums: VNĐ23,800 per hour in Region 1, VNĐ21,200 in Region 2, VNĐ18,600 in Region 3, and VNĐ16,600 in Region 4.

To prevent part-time employment from interfering with their academic responsibilities, students would be required to inform their educational institutions of their employment. The institutions would then be responsible for monitoring and supporting the students during their part-time work.

Vũ Trọng Bình, director of the Employment Department, said that this proposal was developed after consulting various agencies, including the Ministry of Education and Training and through discussions with students at the Vietnam National University, HCM City.

The goal of the policy is to safeguard students’ rights while they work part-time, ensuring they are not exploited and are protected under the law in case of any issues.

“There are concerns that allowing students to work 24 hours per week, or about four hours per day, could impact their studies,” Bình acknowledged, adding that the drafting committee will continue to gather feedback and make careful adjustments to the regulations as needed.

Under the current Labour Law, employees in businesses are restricted to working no more than eight hours per day and 48 hours per week.

The Government also encourages businesses to adopt a 40-hour working week, with overtime limited to 40 hours per month and 200 hours per year.

Thus, the proposed working hours for students would be approximately half of what is allowed for regular workers.

Although there is no comprehensive national study on student employment in Việt Nam, surveys suggest that 70 to 80 per cent of students work part-time to cover their living and study expenses.

Common jobs include working in restaurants, coffee shops, packaging, or distributing flyers, with an average of four to five working hours per day, equating to 28 to 35 hours per week. Wages typically range from VNĐ17,000 to VNĐ20,000 per hour.

Students who work as tutors in subjects like English, Information Technology, or Natural Sciences often earn higher wages, from VNĐ100,000 to VNĐ200,000 per hour.

The revised Employment Law is expected to be presented to the National Assembly for consideration during its end-of-year 2024 session. — VNS