New graduates want monthly salary around 500$

Almost half of the fresh university graduates expect a monthly salary of VND10-15 million ($435-650), but most employers are only willing to pay VND6-10 million, a survey has found.

The survey by headhunting agency Adecco Vietnam said over 43 percent want a salary of more than VND10 million, and 31 percent want VND6-10 million, but only 27.5 percent of employers are willing to pay above VND10 million.

Up to 88.5 percent of new employees regard to salary and remuneration as the top priority closely followed by training and development opportunities (87.7 percent) and then by promotion prospects (73.8 percent).

Work-life balance and cultural fit are also highly valued (67.2 percent and 55.7 percent).

Many employers said their main concerns when recruiting new graduates are lack of soft skills, unrealistic expectations and instability.

Y Pham, chief growth officer at flexible pay startup Nano Technologies, said she has met many new graduates who start their first full-time job with too high expectations due to the lack of clarity about their career path.

More than 56 percent of employers appreciate the new vision and initiative of fresh graduates, 54 percent appreciate their enthusiasm and 40 percent say new graduates help build a diverse workplace.

Due to Covid-19, nearly 39 percent of enterprises have reduced recruitment demand, with nearly 19 percent cutting it by more than 50 percent.

Over 59 percent of new graduates believe there are fewer job opportunities and 37 percent are worried about labor market instability.

Adecco predicted that 62 percent of fresh graduates would seek new jobs in the next six months when recruitment demand would rise considerably.