The overall unemployment rate rose slightly to about 2.22 percent in the first quarter of the year.

The rate is 3.17 percent in urban areas and 1.75 percent in the countryside.

Asmany as 265,000 workers became employed during the same period, anincrease of 3.6 percent over 2014, according to the General StatisticsOffice (GSO).

By the end of March, 52.5 million people over 15were employed – 8.8 million more people than the first quarter lastyear, the report said. Men comprised 51.5 percent of the workforce andwomen comprised 48.5 percent.

Of these, 40.7 percent workedin agriculture, forestry and seafood; 25.5 percent worked inconstruction and industry; and 33.8 percent worked in the servicesector.

College and university graduates were seeing less workcomparatively, with an unemployment rate of 4.39 – 2.17 percent higherthan the overall rate.

"The fact that many university or collegegraduates can't get a job reflects a change in companies' recruitmentstructure," said Cao Van Sam, deputy head of the General Department ofVocational Training under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and SocialAffairs (MoLISA).

Enterprises often recruit applicants based on their experience, not their level of education, he said.

Heattributed the graduates' unemployment to the fact that they lackprofessional skills and soft skills. They focused too much on theory inschool and did not get enough practical experience, he said.

TheGovernment said it expects Vietnam's economy to remain stable in thesecond quarter and for its GDP to rise. Employer demand will alsoincrease in leading sectors.

Firms will seek 65,000 labourers inthe second quarter of the year in Ho Chi Minh City, said Tran Anh Tuan,Deputy Director of the city's Centre for Human Resource Forecasting andLabour Market Information.-VNA