Bosch plans to up Vietnam software worker intake by 50% in 2025

German engineering and technology company Bosch intends to enlarge its software workforce in Vietnam by 2,000 people next year to expand production.

Stefan Grosch, a management board member and director of industrial relations at Bosch who is also responsible for its business in India and Southeast Asia, revealed the information at a Thursday meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang.

Grosch, who is on a Southeast Asia production development market research trip, asked for the Vietnamese government’s support for the company’s latest move in the country.

After three decades in Vietnam, Bosch currently employs 6,200 people, including 4,000 in software production. The firm aimed to increase its software production workforce to 6,000 in 2025, the executive said.

He said Bosch would also strive to cooperate with Vietnam in high-quality workforce training, especially in sectors related to Industry 4.0.

Bosch was willing to provide Vietnam with solutions for smart traffic safety management, he added.

Welcoming Bosch’s suggestions, Deputy PM Quang hailed Bosch’s willingness to abide by local rules towards win-win cooperation.

The Vietnamese government has always facilitated long-term operations of German businesses in Vietnam in line with the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership, he said.

Vietnam was updating its legal framework with a focus on encouraging and attracting high-tech investments, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and software production, Quang added.

In March, Dominik Meichle, managing director of Bosch Vietnam, had said Vietnam should encourage businesses to invest more in human resources and build a clear regulatory framework.

To simplify the legal framework, Meichle highlighted the importance of a predictable and unambiguous regulatory environment. Bosch appreciated the government's persistent efforts to improve the local business environment, notably in streamlining administrative procedures.

He also highlighted Bosch Vietnam's human resources development efforts, noting that April 2023 marked the 10th anniversary of vocational training cooperation between Bosch and Lilama 2 International Technology College in Dong Nai province, an industrial hub in the southern region. So far, after 10 intakes, 238 people have been trained and 134 have advanced to work at Bosch, not only in Vietnam but around the world, he said.