Some 1,300 enterprises in 50 of Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces saw orders fall between last September and the end of January, resulting in thousands of workers losing their jobs or having their hours cut, according to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

During the period, it said, while many businesses continued to boost production and trade, others had to deal with a shortage of orders, especially those in garments and textiles, wood processing, and electronics.

Nearly 547,000 workers were affected, including over 491,000 who had their hours cut or went on paid leave. Around 7,000 workers had their contracts suspended without salary, and more than 48,623 had their contracts terminated.

The number of affected workers at FDI businesses accounts for 75 per cent of the total, primarily in garments and textiles, footwear, and wood processing in southern and Mekong Delta localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An, and An Giang.