IT talents sought after amid frozen labor market

Although many companies are scaling down their payroll, demand for IT experts remains high with the most popular recruitment positions being business administration, software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital platform development and data analysis.

Quang Trung Software City, a hub for IT businesses, has seen several companies such as Larion, TMA, Rakus, and SPS recruiting staff in recent weeks.

An experienced manager at a business there said that companies were overpaying staff to ensure positions were filled even though it was not ideal.

The gross income of programmers with more than three years of experience in Vietnam ranges from $2,100 to $6,000 per month, according to a survey by recruitment company IT TopDev last year.

Recruiters say that the price range is the same this year as staff shortages remain.

Companies expect IT experts to have design and analysis skills, along with team management and expertise in a particular sector such as finance or e-commerce. They are also required to have good communication and language skills.

Truong Thien Kiem, a deputy director at recruitment firm Adecco Vietnam, said that the decline in orders this year had urged factories to increase automation and therefore hike their needs for high-skilled IT staff.

Domestic companies must race with foreign enterprises who are also looking for the best IT experts.

Thailand’s Kasikorn Business-Technology Group (KBTG) last month opened its Vietnam unit in Ho Chi Minh City, its third in Asia, to attract IT talent.

The group plans to recruit 200 developers this year and will be partnering with universities to find suitable candidates.

In May, representatives of seven Japanese companies in Hanoi showed up at a job fair at Hanoi University of Science and Technology to find graduate IT candidates.

Recruitment demand is forecast to be high as Vietnam is estimated to need 600,000 developers this year and 800,000 next year, but the shortage could be between 175,000 and 195,000, according to TopDev.

This is because only 35% of the 57,000 annual IT graduates meet business demand, it said, adding that beginners in the industry outnumbered seniors.