SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY TRANSFORMATION: A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF HO CHI MINH CITY WORKERS

Digital technology provides social science scholars with new tools that supplement traditional research methods. This study employs Mixed Methods Research (MMR), integrating secondary quantitative data, semi-structured interviews, a focus group discussion, and passive digital observation to examine the impact of the digital economy on the social mobility of workers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Within this context, social mobility is analysed through key indicators: Educational Attainment, Occupational Status, Income Levels, and Perceived Socioeconomic Status. Findings reveal that shifting from formal manufacturing to informal platform work frequently leads to precariousness and income instability. Furthermore, mobility outcomes correlate with macro-structural variables, including HCMC's digital economic policies, migration status, and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Crucially, digital literacy acts as a determinant of mobility: while workers lacking digital skills face downward or stagnant mobility, those who actively leverage digital tools experience upward financial and occupational mobility. These observations align with the neo-Weberian perspective, framing social stratification within specific market conditions. Throughout the research process, this MMR approach emphasised the ethical application of digital tools, ensuring methodological congruence, data authenticity, participant privacy, and data security. These issues fall within the Sociology stream: Methodologies for Sociological Research in the Digital Society.