Vietnam's IT workers in high demand despite global layoffs

A survey by TopCV, one of the best job-search sites in the country, shows that software engineers are one of the three most searched-for positions, yet also one of the most difficult to recruit for and keep staffed.

A medium-level software engineer might pocket a monthly salary of $1,190, and despite such an attractive offer, the supply of candidates still falls short of demand.

In fact, for the last couple of years, Vietnam has been experiencing an overall shortfall in IT personnel, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Tech Hiring report 2022, foreign investment flow has produced multiple opportunities for the country’s IT labour market, while regional IT firms have dropped anchor in the Vietnamese market and built up their IT teams to develop their products.

Ngo Thi Ngoc Lan, northern director at Navigos Search of employment platform Navigos Group, noted that the effect of the massive global lay-offs of tech personnel is relatively inconsequential to Vietnam as the major tech firms do not have much of a workforce operating in the country.

Meanwhile, sectors across Vietnam all need quality IT personnel to work on digital transformation plans.

“We might think there is a gloomy outlook for the IT sector, but in fact many businesses are building a presence in Vietnam,” said Lan.

Shining further light on the issue is Nguyen Xuan Son, country operations manager for Staffing and Outsourcing, ManpowerGroup Vietnam. Son said, "Many businesses and professions in Vietnam are ramping up efforts towards full digital transformation in the post-pandemic era, and in the face of scarce high-quality IT human resources."

According to Nguyen Huu Lem, chairman of TMA Solutions, "Recent lay-offs of IT personnel worldwide is beneficial to Vietnam as the country might acquire quality manpower at lower cost for remote work."

Local firms, however, have to entice IT talent away from a raft of foreign tech giants with a track record in Vietnam, such as Samsung and Bosch.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the country’s demand for IT personnel could grow 13 per cent this year. As it moves into a robust stage of digital technology development, Vietnam's demand for IT workers increases.

However, one negative point is that a high percentage of IT human resource fall below expectations in terms of quality and professional qualification.

This thorny issue needs to be remedied swiftly, if not, the space might be soon filled by foreign IT personnel from India or China.

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