The unseen struggle: Job dissatisfaction and minimal effort among young professionals

The 23-year-old had joined a media company in District 1, HCMC, in May to write content for its social media and website. His workload is measured by the number of posts and social media engagement, and he gets paid a monthly salary of VND10 million (US$402).

Initially, he was excited about the job since creating content aligned with his strengths. However, that excitement soon faded. "HR said they wanted fresh ideas from young people, but that was not really happening," he says.

His marketing manager, 13 years his senior, often found his content unclear or unconventional. In the first two weeks, each 300-word post required over five rounds of revisions. Eventually, all his original ideas ended up being altered.

Frustrated, Minh thought about quitting after one month but decided to stay, recalling the instability of his two years as a freelancer. After completing several marketing campaigns, he realised he could reuse old ideas without being creative. "I felt too underpaid to bother arguing with my boss," he admits.

He began using AI to draft content, making only minor edits. Minh would clock in at 9 a.m., finish his work by 11 a.m., and spend the rest of his day chatting with colleagues, watching movies, or reading. His boss, working from a different office, paid little attention to his actual output, only tracking his attendance.

Hai Yen at a coffee shop in District 1, HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

At 29, Hai Yen was often praised for having a "dream job." After being transferred from the events department to the content creation team at a publishing company in District 3, HCMC, she had a flexible schedule, no longer bound by fixed office hours.

However, this mandatory transfer left her feeling uninspired and unmotivated, and her productivity became the lowest among her four colleagues. Despite this, she was offered a permanent contract after six years with the company and paid VND8 million a month.

She admits the salary provided little incentive to put in extra effort. Yen grew accustomed to criticism and eventually began expecting to be fired. "I cannot do what I love anymore, so I am always tired and unmotivated," she says. She typically arrived at the office at around 11 a.m., had lunch, and rested until 2 p.m. She worked for just one to two hours a day. By 4 p.m., she would get ready for a run at a park three kilometers away, stop by the supermarket on her way back, and spend her evenings free from work-related stress.

Yen and Minh exemplify employees caught in a "jobless employed" state – a term used to describe those who hold jobs but do very little or no work at all. They lack the motivation or opportunity to advance, improve their skills, or create value, leading to low productivity.

A 2020 report by the International Labour Organization found that around 22% of workers globally fall into this category. In Vietnam, a survey by CareerBuilder found that 58% of employees are unsatisfied with their current jobs.

Bui Doan Chung, founder of the Vietnam HR Community, says this phenomenon is particularly common among Gen Z and Millennials. He explains that Gen Z, who now account for a third of the workforce, prioritise purpose and happiness in their jobs, and repetitive tasks and a lack of future prospects quickly sap their motivation. The rise of AI has also reshaped how companies and individuals work, with many turning to digitalisation to streamline tasks and reduce working hours.

The prevalence of jobless employment highlights deeper issues in human resource management. Companies often place people in roles that do not suit them, leaving the latter feeling disconnected from the company’s values and unable to adapt to its culture. "A lack of motivation and trust leads to a stagnant, unproductive work culture," he explains, emphasising the need for collective responsibility.

He also notes that permanent employees on indefinite contracts, protected by labour laws, are more likely to fall into this jobless employed state. Terminating these contracts is difficult and often leads to legal complications.

As a result, some employees become "office zombies" who refuse to learn and put in minimal effort but will not resign. This dynamic often leads to internal conflict and frustration.

Khanh Thy, 29, knows this all too well. At her dairy company in District 1, HCMC, she and her colleagues refer to a sales department employee as "the immortal one" because he never gets fired. He was promoted to a management position after securing several key projects for the company three years ago.

Every day he checks in on time but then disappears for hours without any explanation, Thy says. Colleagues frequently complain about his lack of responsiveness and work ethic, but he remains employed. "During a critical phase of a new project, we had to work overtime but he was nowhere to be found," Thy says.

Chung says addressing the jobless employed issue requires systems that track individual and departmental performance and productivity. Companies should also establish clear, legally supported guidelines for how specific tasks are to be carried out in the workplace.

In early 2024, Yen decided to quit, concerned about her future as she approached 30. After joining a new private company, she was shocked by the fast-paced environment and the entirely different productivity standards compared to her previous job.

"I think I have been drifting along for too long, and now I am struggling to actually work."