International experiences of modernizing the organization and operation of employment services: Implications for Viet Nam

Effective employment services play a pivotal role in connecting workers to decent jobs, enhancing workforce resilience, and fostering inclusive economic growth, especially in the face of the profound transformations shaping today’s changing world of work. Viet Nam is undertaking substantial reforms to modernize regulatory and institutional frameworks governing its labour market with a view to making it more competitive and efficient.

This report aims to provide key insights from international experiences of modernizing employment services and identifies implications for Viet Nam’s employment services. This analysis will also serve as a contribution as part of ILO’s Decent Work Country Programme 2022–26 in Viet Nam. As such, it aims to contribute to evidence-informed decision-making in the design, implementation and monitoring of effective employment services in Viet Nam.

This analysis focuses on the governance of employment services, the regulation and operation of Private Employment Agencies as well as Public Employment Services (PES) partnerships, core functions and services, management of personnel, funding mechanisms and service delivery channels.