The labor force aged 15 years and above nationwide as of July 01, 2018 was estimated to be 55.1 million persons, expanding 594 thousand persons compared with the same period in 2017. As of above time, labor force within working age was estimated at 48.4 million persons, an increase of 539.8 thousand persons compared with the similar period last year.

The unemployment rate of labourers within working age in the second Quarter of 2018 was estimated at 2.2%, equivalent to the figure in the first quarter of 2018.  Generally, in the first six months of 2018, the unemployment rate of labourers within working age was estimated to be 2.2%, of which this rate in urban and rural areas were 3.12% and 1.74% respectively.

The underemployment rate of working-age laborers in the first Quarter of 2018 was 1.52%; and estimated at 1.50% in the second quarter. Generally, in the first half of this year, the underemployment rate of working-age labourers, of which it was 0.64% for the urban area; 1.95% for the rural area. 

Generally, in the first six months of 2018, Vietnam had 94 thousand households suffering from food shortage, a decrease of 39.6% from the same period last year, corresponding to 373.9 thousand persons suffering from food shortage, a decline of 41.5%. To overcome this problem, from the beginning of the year, all administrative levels, sectors and organizations from central to local level supported difficult households with 6.9 thousand tons of food.

Social security work was paid attention. According to the preliminary report, the total gifts awarded to policy beneficiary objects, people with merit, social protection beneficiaries in the first six months of the year were 3.6 trillion dongs. In addition, 21.7 million health insurance cards, free health care books/cards were donated to policy beneficiaries in the whole country.

In the school-year 2017-2018, the whole country had 15241 kindergaten schools, an increase of 378 ones against the previous school-year; 28710 schools of general education, a decrease of 81 ones, including 14937 primary schools, a decline of 115 ones; 10091 lower secondary schools, a drop of 64 ones; 2398 upper secondary schools, an increase of 7 ones; 848 primary and lower secondary schools, an increase of 75 ones; and 436 lower and upper secondary schools, an increase of 16 ones. Number of kindergarten teachers was 266.3 thousand persons, rising by 6.2% compared to that in the previous school-year; number of direct teaching teachers in general education was 853 thousand persons, decreasing by 0.7%, including 396.6thousand primary teachers, falling by 0.1%; 306.1 thousand lower secondary teachers, decreasing by 1.6% and 150.3 thousand upper secondary teachers, reducing by 0.3%. There were 4.6 million children in kindergartens, rising by 4.3% compared to the previous school-year; 15.9 million pupils of general education, increasing by 2.6%, which included 8 million pupils in primaryschools, an increase of 3.1%; 5.4 million pupils in lower secondary schools, an increase of 2.6% and 2.5 million of pupils in upper secondary schools, an increase of 1.3%.

The national high school 2018 exam had 925.8 thousand candidates registered, of which 688.5 thousand candidates registered for admission to universities, accounting for 74.4% of the total number of candidates registered to compete.

In the school year 2017-2018, there were 235 universities nationwide, which included 170 public universities and 65 non-puplic universities. Number of university lecturers was 75 thousand persons, increasing by 3% compared to that in the previous school year; Number of students in universities was 1.7 million persons, decreasing by 4.1%

The whole country had more than 3000 vocational training establishments, of which 388 occupational colleges; 513 occupational intermediate schools and 939 occupational training centers. In the first six months of the year, vocational training establishments nationwide enrolled nearly 1.1 million students, reaching 48% of the annual plan.

In the first six months of this year, the whole country had nearly 16.8 thousand cases of hand, foot, mouth disease; 22.8 thousand cases of hemorrhagic fever (5 cases died); 291 cases of typhoid; 333 cases of virus encephalitis (5 cases died); 18 cases of meningococcal disease; 230 cases of whooping cough; 53 human cases of streptococcus suis infection (5 cases died); and 35 cases died of rabies.

Total number of alive HIV-infected persons over the country as of June 18, 2018 was 208.8 thousand persons and 91.6 thousand cases turned to AIDS. The number of persons died of HIV/AIDS nationwide as of above time-point was 97.5 thousand persons.

Generally, in the first six months of the year, there were 44 cases of severe food poisoning in the whole country, making 1207 persons poisoned, of which 7 cases died.

Cultural activities in the first six months of the year focused on celebrating the big holidays, major events of the country. The mass sports movement took place ebulliently in various localities with many diversified activities such as folk games, traditional sports, the Olympic Run Day for all People’s Health 2018; implementation of the Safe Swimming and Child Drowning Prevention Program in 2018.

High-performance sports in the first months of the year achieved impressive results. Generally, in the first six months of 2018,the Vietnamese sports delegation won 172 gold medals, 114 silver medals and 88 bronze medals in international competitions, of which there were 16 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 21 bronze medals at world level.

Generally, in the first six months of 2018, 8999 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, including 4644 traffic accidents of less serious or more and 4355 traffic crashes, making 4103 persons died, 2465 ones injured and 4562 ones slightly injured. Compared with the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents in the first six months of this year decreased by 6.2% (the number of traffic accidents from less serious and over went down by 3.2%, the number of traffic crashes fell by 9.2%); Number of dead moved down by 0.7%; the number of injured people increased by 3.3% and the number of minor injuries reduced by 17.8%. On an average, each day in six months, the whole country had 49 traffic accidents, including 25 traffic accidents of less serious or more and 24 traffic crashes, making 23 persons died, 14 ones injured and 25 ones slightly injured.

According to the preliminary report from localities, natural calamity in the first six months^[10] made 33 persons died and lost, 47 persons injured; 15 thousand houses collapsed and damaged; nearly 11 thousand ha of rice and crops damaged. Total value of damage was estimated at over 808 billion dongs. Notably, heavy rains, flash floods and landslides occurred in the northern mountainous region on June 22-26 made 15 persons died, 11 persons lost, 7 persons injured; more than 1500 houses collapsed, damaged, swept away and flooded; 1200 ha of rice and crops damaged; 5500 heads of cattle and poultry died; many national highway lines, provincial roads landslided causing traffic jam. Estimated damage was over 140 billion.

In the first half of 2018, 7691 cases of violating regulations of environment protection were found over the country, of which 7178 cases were treated with total fine of 98 billion dongs.

In the first six months of the year, the whole country had 2091 cases of fire and explosion, killing 67 persons and injuring 169 others, the value of damage was estimated at over 1200 billion dongs.

Source: The General Statistics Office