Not only do businesses need to retrain and reorganise their personnel, but training institutions and regulatory bodies must also revise how they prepare the workforce. Without timely policies and a coordinated approach, workforce issues could lead to significant social consequences.

Artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and automation are exerting pressure on labour shifts. Many businesses are opting to upskill their current workforce rather than hiring new employees, aiming to retain staff in the digital environment. This is not only a retention strategy but also a long-term plan to enhance workforce quality.

New job roles emerging

As a long-established pharmaceutical company traditionally reliant on manual labour and direct distribution channels, Traphaco Joint Stock Company has not remained outside the digital transformation trend.

Nguyen Huy Van, Deputy General Director of Traphaco Joint Stock Company, shared that the most significant changes have occurred in the accounting and branch operations departments. Previously, each branch had at least one accountant. However, with the establishment of an electronic order processing centre and the adoption of invoice management technology, the company has reduced around 100 accountants, and now a single accountant can oversee up to 28 branches.

At the company’s modern pharmaceutical plant in Hung Yen, the introduction of high technology has reduced the number of workers from nearly 130 to about 65, while productivity has tripled. The company has also implemented a long-term human resources strategy: identifying positions that can be replaced by technology and developing plans to retrain, upskill, or reassign those employees to new roles.

Nguyen Huy Van emphasised that the company’s principle is not to lay off long-serving employees. Instead, digital transformation is viewed as an opportunity to upgrade workforce quality and help employees develop skills aligned with new trends.

ThaiBinh Seed Group Joint Stock Company, once known for its team of traditional agricultural engineers, now also hires data processors and programmers to analyse crop varieties using IT systems, alongside its existing variety testing staff.

A company representative explained that modern crop researchers must now be capable of interpreting genetic data and utilising IT tools to accelerate research and bring products to market more quickly.

Similarly, a representative of Sao Thai Duong Joint Stock Company noted that their greatest demand today is for interdisciplinary researchers in biotechnology–pharmacology–applied chemistry, who can also work with artificial intelligence (AI) in experiments to produce highly competitive market products.

Clearly, science and technology are driving comprehensive changes in the workforce within businesses. Drawing from his company’s experience implementing technology solutions for over 350,000 clients, including government agencies, businesses, and sole proprietors, Le Hong Quang, General Director of MISA Joint Stock Company, identified several global trends, including in Viet Nam, in how enterprises are reorganising their workforce amid strong digital transformation:

First, businesses are focusing on training employees to integrate AI into their work. Rather than hiring new staff, they invest in internal training to retain talent and maintain organisational culture.

Second, organisations are restructuring to be leaner and more flexible, allowing for faster decision-making and better teamwork performance. Moreover, technology training—especially in applying AI to operations—has helped eliminate many repetitive and time-consuming manual tasks.

According to Nguyen Phu Hung, Director of the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology), the labour market must restructure, shifting from low-skilled jobs to knowledge-based and digital-skilled roles—an irreversible trend. This shift will create new jobs in strategic tech areas such as operating automated systems, data analysis, software development, robotics control, and digital product design.

The pressure to adapt

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, automation and AI are gradually replacing simple repetitive tasks, widening the skills gap and increasing the risk of job loss. Low-skilled, older, or untrained workers lacking digital skills are especially vulnerable to being left behind. This could lead to a polarised workforce, split between knowledge–digital workers and traditional labourers. Without timely and effective retraining policies, older, less educated, or rural workers could be excluded from the labour market—posing a major challenge to inclusive development and calling for intelligent regulatory strategies.

In reality, as technology advances, many banks have had to cut jobs in redundant roles while simultaneously recruiting for positions in IT, data, digitalisation, and AI. Banking experts predict a gradual decline in the number of traditional transaction branches, making way for digital banking services. In this shift, AI is expected to replace humans in many processes.

Technology experts believe traditional roles such as data entry, cashiering, accounting, customer service, graphic design, and content marketing face a high risk of being replaced by AI and automation. The core issue is a mismatch between training and market demands, along with a lack of strong policies to retrain low-skilled workers.

Several technology solution providers for businesses also forecast that as cutting-edge technologies like AI become widely implemented, the workforce will undergo a profound transformation in roles, work methods, and skill requirements.

However, rather than simply replacing humans, technology opens up positive transitions, from manual labour to higher value-added and more strategic work.

This transformation is clearly reflected in students’ choices of study fields at training institutions.

Professor Dr Hoang Xuan Thao, Head of the Information Technology Faculty at Ha Noi University of Business and Technology (HUBT), stated that disciplines related to digital technologies—such as AI, data science, programming, cybersecurity, e-commerce, and digital business—are becoming increasingly popular among students. Conversely, traditional fields such as office management, accounting, and economic law are experiencing declining enrolment.

It is evident that while technology is unlocking unprecedented opportunities for businesses and the economy, it also poses an urgent challenge regarding workforce transformation.