Local recruitment market starts on a bustling note as economy reopens
HÀ NỘI With the move toward living safely with COVID-19, the economy is showing many optimistic signs, followed by an active recruitment market, according to the latest data.
According to Adecco Vietnam releases of Q1, a similar volume in hiring requests was seen in this Q1 compared to the last term. However, the number of active job seekers and applicants reduced by 20 per cent.
Nguyễn Hoàng Thanh Chương, associate director, Recruitment Business, Adecco HCMC, said: “The majority of skilled professionals find themselves in a good place and decide to stay with their current companies amid the economic recovery with many prospects ahead. On the other hand, enterprises continue to look for talent to drum up their business, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, leading to a noticeable labour shortage in these areas.”
Meanwhile, Nguyễn Thu Hà, director Adecco Hà Nội office, highlighted the urgent worker need in labour-intensive sectors such as garment, electronics, food processing, footwear, leather.
She said: “Part of the workers who remain in their hometowns is likely because they have found another livelihood. They are also afraid of infection and another outbreak, especially those taking care of young children or elderly relatives. The high living cost with inadequate wages also makes workers hesitate to return to urban areas.”
Hà added another large-scale hiring sector, tourism, which fully reopened both inbound and outbound activities on March 15 with profound changes in travel patterns and tourist behaviours. The increase comes with concerns about degraded facilities and, more importantly, the lack of personnel and skill decay after a long hibernation.
According to the firm’s data, last year, the number of full-time employees was only accounted for 25 per cent compared to 2020. The rest were laid off or terminated, temporarily quit, or worked perfunctorily. Much high-quality staff have left in the past two years and are now reluctant to return due to the uncertainty of COVID-19.
In the first quarter, hospitality firms are rushing to recruit and train their staff for resumption. Besides safety regulations, online practices are also becoming the norm. So, in addition to traditional roles, tech-savvy positions are in-demand to ensure a smooth customer experience when booking, checking in or interacting online. Many are mutually recruiting and re-training former employees while looking for fresh graduates to take up the slack.
This quarter, employers in Fintech, retail, and consumer goods sectors also seek more talent in sales and marketing, product and technology, and engineering roles.
“Recent recruitment trends show that Fintech, together with the Logistics and Manufacturing industries, are up and rising in the country. Hence, the spotlight is now on tech-focused roles such as Product Manager, Business Analyst, or Software Developer and Strategic Quality, Sourcing, and Engineering roles. Alongside renewable energy development, financial services and logistics sectors, hiring demand will rise for investment, sales and new market development managers,” said Chương.
The report also said more virtual interactions have resulted in more interest in creative positions associated with visualisation and online experiences, such as graphic designers, designers in UI/UX, or digital marketing. Similarly, jobs responsible for corporate adaptation such as strategy & transformation, value creation, or human resources directors are also in-demand.
Hà said professionals in the IT field would continue to be sought after in the coming years.
She noted: “Coronavirus leaves a legacy on the way we work. Digitalisation, automation, remote work, outsourcing, to name a few. Investment in IT personnel is indispensable for businesses to move forward and grow in the POST-COVID-19 scenarios. Besides the tech-transformation of domestic businesses, the growth of foreign investments and outsourcing needs in this sector will increase demand for IT staff.”
She also points out that the trend of remote working will open up more opportunities for talents with good language and digital skills.
She said: “In this digital era, staying employable requires employees to invest in expertise and soft skills. Moreover, drafting short-term and long-term career plans also ensures more proactive approaches in handling future fluctuations in the labour market.”
Chương said as the world has shifted from a physical presence at work to a more flexible but productive culture, mastering digital tools, creativity, remote management, trust-building, and critical thinking are vitally required to surface among millions of office professionals.
Chưong said: “It is now time to lead the way in promoting the future of work with a new workplace model, either with hybrid or flexible ones. It’s also a chance for new initiatives in organisational culture, such as utilising digital tools as a part of a larger scale of HR process transformation”.
Meanwhile, the expert suggested that decentralisation can help manufacturing firms’ labour sourcing.
“Relocating factories to rural areas helps gain access to the local workforce and those who have left industrial areas while reducing labour costs. In recent years, many manufacturers have followed this direction, expanding and building more plants in provincial areas such as the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands,” Chưong said.vns