Tech, engineering to have great demand for workers in Vietnam: survey

The survey was done in the second half of this year by polling more than 200 human resources professionals in management positions at multinationals and top Vietnamese companies.

According to the survey, 62 percent forecast increased demand for arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media workers.

Forty-two percent said there would be a decline in administrative and clerical work in five years though these are among the top three in terms of demand this year. VietnamWorks said this is because repetitive jobs like these are likely be replaced by machines.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents believed developments in automation and information technology would be the most influential factors in the labour market in the next five years.

Mobile Internet and cloud technology would be the next major factor, according to 57 percent, and processing power and big data, according to 54 percent.

Forty percent said privacy issues and greater awareness of environmental responsibilities would have a great impact on the labor market demand.

As socio-economic factors alter the nature of jobs, employers will require more sophisticated skills and abilities. The respondents expected cooperating with others, people management, emotional intelligence, and judgement and decision making to be the top cross-functional skills needed in future.

Gaku Echizenya, general director of Navigos Group, which owns VietnamWorks, said: “The market is experiencing major changes with the fourth industrial revolution. Therefore, businesses need to keep up-to-date with market information from reputable sources to respond promptly to changes, allowing them to set out a strategy to recruit and attract talented people.”

Employees need to actively educate themselves in IT and digital knowledge, and develop crucial skills such as cooperation with others and people management to increase their competitiveness, he added.