📄 Abstract
In the context of digital transformation, economic restructuring, and the expansion of flexible forms of employment, employment transitions have become an increasingly common phenomenon in Vietnam’s labor market. While previous studies have extensively highlighted the role of human capital in shaping employment outcomes, the role of social capital in employment transitions remains underexplored, particularly in transitional economies. This paper aims to synthesize major theoretical perspectives on social capital, review existing studies on the relationship between social capital and employment transitions, and propose an analytical framework suitable for contemporary Vietnam. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam, and Lin, as well as empirical findings from international studies, the paper argues that social capital influences employment transitions through four key mechanisms: information provision, opportunity linkage, resource mobilization, and psychosocial support. Based on these insights, the study proposes the Social Capital–Employment Transition Framework for Contemporary Vietnam (SCET-V Framework), which conceptualizes bonding, bridging, and linking social capital as influencing employment transition outcomes through intermediary mechanisms while being conditioned by contextual factors such as digital transformation, educational attainment, gender, work experience, and labor market characteristics. The paper contributes to the literature by extending employment transition research beyond human capital perspectives and provides a theoretical foundation for future empirical studies and employment policy development in Vietnam.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, Nguyen Duc Huu , SOCIAL CAPITAL AND EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS IN CONTEMPORARY VIETNAM: TOWARD AN INTEGRATED ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK , Volume 13 , Issue 6, June 2026, EPRA International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Studies (EBMS) , Pages: 87 - 97 ,