IT industry boasts huge recruitment demand: report

The demand for IT personnel continues to soar amid post-pandemic business recovery and growth, according to a report on the Vietnamese labor market in the second quarter by the payroll, recruitment and outsourcing agency Andeco Vietnam.

According to Nguyen Thu Ha, director at Adecco Hanoi, digital transformation, big data, cloud computing, and Internet of Things trends not only provide ample local chances for Vietnamese IT staff but also open up remote opportunities at overseas companies and projects. Consequently, although many enterprises offer attractive salary and bonus schemes, they still need all-out efforts to recruit highly specialised candidates.

Labor demand among manufacturing businesses in electronics, textiles, and chemicals has climbed significantly this year and is likely to grow hereafter, she noted.

"In addition to manufacturing and tech-related enterprises, those in food and beverage service, consumer electronics, and energy sectors are also showing significant labor demand."

Ha explained that since a few years ago, Vietnam had benefited greatly from a wave of production relocation and signed free trade agreements with the EU, Japan, and South Korea.

Dang Thi Thai Hoa, associate director at Adecco HCMC’s recruitment business, highlighted a labour shortage in financial services and insurance sectors. She said the stock market has fluctuated dramatically in recent months, resulting in employees quitting for more stable and promising industries.

Andeco assesses that many businesses are now taking advantage of both online and physical interviews to boost recruitment efficiency and attract tech-savvy applicants.

Hoa said: "For mid-level vacancies or massive recruitment, the first few rounds can be conducted using online platforms. Some businesses also prepare additional candidate assessments to swiftly screen a large number of resumes. The best-fit candidates will then join in-person interviews, which are one of the last hiring phases. Companies, on the other hand, continue to prefer meeting directly from the start for senior management roles."

Le Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, country director of Adecco Vietnam, said Covid-19-induced uncertainty and recent inflation made employees more cautious about their work culture, additional wellbeing support, career path as well as salary increment.

They also show a greater interest in the hybrid working model, she said, adding that this would be a challenge for the manufacturing and retail sectors, but more feasible for the service and technology industries.