Samsung is recruiting a large number of skilled workers for factories in northern Vietnam as the South Korean giant has constantly expanded its investment in the southeast Asia country.
Samsung Vietnam on March 5 hosted an examination that included the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT) and interviews for over 2,400 engineers and graduates. The test was held in three localities - Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen.
Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen provinces are home to Samsung’s major factories in Vietnam, while one of the group’s global R&D centers is located in Hanoi.
Elite candidates who excelled on the GSAT will be hired as official employees of Samsung Vietnam, working at the giant’s manufacturing plants and R&D center.
Samsung postponed the GSAT last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The company’s effort to conduct the large-scale recruitment is a step toward a “new normal” and in line with the government policy of “safe, flexible adaptation to Covid-19 and effective control of the disease.”
Choi Joo Ho, General Director of Samsung Vietnam, said on the giant’s website: “In response to the Vietnamese government’s support, we have not changed our business strategy here despite the fallout of Covid-19. In addition to disbursing all investment capital, we also maintain an annual additional investment of hundreds of millions of USD with the goal of stabilizing factory operations and improving productivity and product quality”.
In Samsung’s development plan, Vietnam is surpassing its role as a key global manufacturing center and will become the group’s strategic R&D hub, he noted.
Samsung Vietnam earned $74.2 billion in revenue and $65.5 billion in export in 2021, up 14% and 16% respectively year-on-year, Samsung Electronics data shows. The company is the largest exporter in Vietnam.
With an additional $920 million added to the Samsung Electro-Mechanics Vietnam (SEMV) project in Thai Nguyen in February, the heavyweight has channeled a total of $19.2 billion into Vietnam, 28 times higher than its initial commitment.
Samsung Vietnam currently has six factories in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen and Ho Chi Minh City, an R&D center in Hanoi and a legal entity for sales.
The group has invested $220 million in the construction of the R&D center in the capital city, focusing on researching new technology trends such as AI, Big Data and Internet of Things. The new center will make its debut at the end of 2022.
Samsung mobile phones made in Vietnam account for 50 per cent of the group’s global output.
In 2021, Samsung Vietnam exported $65.5 billion, up 16% against 2020 and equivalent to nearly one fifth of Vietnam’s export turnover.
The giant’s main lines are mobile devices, home electronics and semiconductor products.