The human resource solutions provider, which polled 442 enterprises, said 37.3 percent do not have recruitment plans while the rest would cut hires.

The manufacturing and construction sectors have the highest demand for workers thanks to growth potential, the report said.

Other sectors with large demand are retail, commerce, transport and logistics, and IT.

Some 88 percent expected recruitment activity to return to pre-pandemic levels in the next three to six months, while the rest said it would take one year.

Nguyen Thu Trang, ManpowerGroup’s director of recruitment and HR consulting services, said thanks to the government’s proficient handling of the pandemic, the Vietnamese economy is showing signs of recovery.

Besides, foreign investment continues to flow into Vietnam, creating more business and employment opportunities, she added.

The report found 3 percent of firms suspended operations due to the pandemic and 36.4 percent have been badly affected.

Vietnam has been struggling with a new wave of Covid-19 since January 28, with 811 people contracting the disease.

But its economy, unlike that of most other countries, was able to escape a contraction in 2020. It grew at 2.91 percent.

The government has set a GDP growth target of 6.5 percent for 2021.