Vietnam lags behind high-income nations in digital skills and AI

March 12, 2020 | 17:42

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There is a widening gap of digital skills, especially in AI between Vietnam and other high-income nations, according to key findings from the 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) research from Adecco Group, the world’s leading HR solutions company, together with Google and INSEAD.

vietnam lags behind high income nations in digital skills and ai

The AI revolution has redefined global talent competitiveness

This year’s GTCI report addresses the theme of global talent in the age of AI. Notably, the report finds that high-income countries are progressing quickly and dominate the top 25. These "talent champions" are accelerating further away from the rest of the world, including Vietnam. This divide is being intensified by the rise of AI since more than half of the population in the developing world are still struggling with basic digital skills.

In GTCI 2020, Vietnam is ranked 96th out of 132 countries, falling five positions since 2019 and nine positions since 2018. Classified in the lower-middle-income group and in the Eastern, Southeastern Asia, and Oceania grouping, Vietnam performs particularly well against its region and rose 10 spots to 59th in Global Knowledge Skills. The greatest scope for improvement, meanwhile, is in Vocational and Technical (VT) Skills, in which Employability is the weakest sub-pillar. The ranking in the "Attract" pillar also dropped from 91st in 2019 to 105th in 2020.

Vietnam's global ranking (GTCI sample of 132 countries)

Andree Mangels, general director of Adecco Vietnam, commented that, "In Vietnam, there remains a significant inconsistency between education quality and employment requirements. The emergence of AI in the workplace calls for extensive re-skilling of the workforce. At all levels of qualifications, workers will need training on adaptability, social intelligence, communication, and problem-solving. The right talent is required not only to carry out new responsibilities and ways to work, but also to utilise the power of digital transformation for data-driven decision making."