Salaries for female workers at companies account for only between 70% and 80% of those made by male workers in Vietnam, and this gap is widening, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
According to the ILO, about 72% of Vietnamese women are in the labour force, higher than in most countries worldwide.
Vietnam remains one of the few countries in the world where pay gap for gender has been widening; in most nations statistics taken in the 1999-2007 period and 2008-11 show a decrease in unequal pay.
The organisation also cited figures from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam that, in 2011, income of Vietnamese female labourers was 13% lower than that of male workers.
“The increasing income gap has showed a worrying problem,” said Tim De Meyer, senior specialist on international labour standards at ILO Asia-Pacific.
The latest Labour Force Survey Report, published in 2012, indicated that female workers have lower monthly incomes than their male colleagues in all economic sectors, including state-held corporations, private firms and those with foreign investment.
Women continue to earn less than men even in the industries which employ more female workers such as healthcare, social services and sales.
Meanwhile according to a survey conducted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), women usually hold lower positions, whereas most of management posts are occupied by men.
VGCL’s Vice President Nguyen Thi Thu Hong said female workers often have fewer training opportunities before and during their working career in comparison to their male colleagues, and face more family-related difficulties.
Tim De Meyer recommended that Vietnam manage a policy of 'equal pay for equal work', which is stipulated in the Labour Code.