Human resources in the information technology (IT) sector have been head-hunted in large numbers by both Vietnamese and foreign employers since the beginning of this year.

Japan remains a magnet for Vietnamese IT engineers - Illustrative image
(Source: baodautu.vn)

Japan remains a magnet for Vietnamese IT engineers. A quarterly survey conducted by the Japan Information Technology Service Industry Association (JISA) revealed that the country is short of nearly 800,000 IT engineers and 80% of Japanese enterprises are willing to recruit foreign workers.

Junko Kawauchi, Deputy Head of JISA’s International Cooperation Division, said that 95% of respondent enterprises said they would engage Vietnamese engineers but 80% of these require Japanese language proficiency at the N1 and N2 levels.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea’s Samsung Group recently invested an additional US$300 million in research and development in Vietnam and will require 4,000 more IT employees in the time ahead.

LG has recruited 1,500 engineers, technicians, and workers to work at the LG Display Vietnam Factory. Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), one of the three largest tech companies in India, has developed a centre in Ho Chi Minh City and will require 10,000 more engineers over the next five years.

Axon Enterprise, one of the leading US firms developing technology for law enforcement, is also keen on developing technology in the city.

“Strong investment in IT is being seen in Vietnam,” said Nguyen Huu Binh, CEO of TopDev. “Leading tech companies from India, the RoK, Japan, and the US are working with us to implement large IT projects and they have a pressing need to attract young human resources in Vietnam.”

In addition, since the beginning of this year, many Vietnamese tech firms such as the Nexttech Group, BKAV, TDT, IBG, beGroup, and CMC Global have said they plan to recruit more IT engineers.

CMC Global, for example, has a plan to engage 5,000 high-quality IT engineers; a ten-fold increase compared with the current figure.

According to the latest report from the Navigos Group, more than 90% of IT enterprises in Vietnam wish to engage more staff and expand their business after the pandemic is brought to an end.

Half said they need to expand staff numbers by 11 to 20%, while a quarter need to expand by 21 to 30%.

The report also showed that demand for IT engineers in the first quarter of 2020 grew 7% year-on-year.

Meanwhile, a report from TopDev noted that Vietnam needs over 400,000 IT engineers in 2020 and 500,000 in 2021.