A REPORT ABOUT

CAREER PROSPECTS & SKILL TRENDS

IN VIETNAM
2018 - 2022
WHAT IS “A REPORT ABOUT
CAREER PROSPECTS & �SKILL TRENDS
IN VIETNAM DURING 2018 - 2022”?

Since 2013, the emergence of Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial

revolution) has continuously created substantial changes in
science – technology and socio-economic factors in many
countries all over the world. These changes have affected
various industries, including Human Resources. In order to
help HR professionals to timely follow the market’s latest
movements, especially the changes in careers and skills due to
the impact of Industry 4.0, VietnamWorks introduces
“A report about career prospects & skill trends in Vietnam
during 2018 - 2022”.

This report is in the series of recruitment market reports

conducted by VietnamWorks and circulated in Vietnam.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Methodology Trang 1
The factors that influence labor market during 2018 - 2022 Trang 3
The most promising jobs during 2018 - 2022 Trang 6
The most trending skill sets during 2018 - 2022 Trang 8
What does HR need to prepare for Industry 4.0? Trang 16
Conclusion Trang 20
METHODOLOGY
To complete this research, VietnamWorks has
conducted an independent survey in the 2nd half of
2018, with more than 200 HR professionals currently
holding management positions at multinational
corporations and top companies in Vietnam. In this
survey, HR professionals are encouraged to predict
changes in the factors that affect the Vietnam labor
market and the skills needed for the future jobs.

The mentioned factors, jobs, and skills in this report

were referred to “The Future of Jobs” - a report from WEF
and applied in the survey to collect responses from HR
professionals in Vietnam.

The above information and data have helped

VietnamWorks provide broader and deeper insights
about the recruitment market as well as predict which
sectors and skills will become trends in Vietnam in the
period of 2018 - 2022.

Methodology 1
THE WORLD LABOR MARKET
WILL CHANGE CONSIDERABLY
IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS

75 million
The number of jobs
disappearing by 2022

According to the WEF's "The Future of Jobs“ report, by 2022,

approximately 75 million jobs will disappear due to changes in
science, technology and socio-economy.

The world labor market will change considerably in the next 5 years 2
THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE �
THE LABOR MARKET
2018 - 2022

According to HR professionals around the world, in the coming years,

the technological and socio-economic factors are predicted to
fluctuate ceaselessly, creating direct impacts on the global labor
forces. So, what are the factors that have such strong influences on
the Vietnamese market?

The factors that influence �the labor market 2018 - 2022 3

 TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

Robots, Automation 59%

Mobile internet, cloud technology 57%

Processing power, Big Data 54%

Internet of Things 50%

New energy supplies and technology 49%

Artifitial intelligent (AI) 49%

Sharing economy, crowdsourcing 40%

Advanced manafacturing, 3D printing 34%

Advanced materials, biotechnology 31%

The most influential technological factors in the labor market

over the next five years are mainly from automation and
information technology. New business models, or innovations
in biology, physics are still important, but the impact is not as
high as the rest.

The factors that influence �the labor market 2018 - 2022 4

 SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS

The changes in nature of work, flexible work 66%

The development of elite labor 55%
The development of young demographic 54%
Rapid urbanization 50%
Consumer ethics, privacy issues 40%
Climate change, natural resources 40%
Geopolitical volatility 36%
Longevity, ageing societies 31%
Women's economic power, aspiration 25%

The knowledge economy will be the main driver of socio-economic

changes in the coming years. In addition, the need for privacy,
greater awareness of environmental responsibilities, age pyramid
structure and the influence of women also have a powerful impact
on the overall economy.

The factors that influence �the labor market 2018 - 2022 5

THE MOST PROMISING JOBS
2018 - 2022

The technological and socio-economic factors affect more or less

the overall labor market in the period of 2018 - 2022. What are the
most promising jobs in the next 5 years?

The most promising jobs 2018 - 2022 6

 THE MOVEMENT OF CAREER PROSPECTS

2%
High Tech & Engineering 8%
90%

2%
Computer & Technology 9%
89%

7%
Arts, Design, Entertainment,
31%
Sports & Media 62%

5%
Management 34%
61%

5%
Finance 45%
50%

13%
Production & Manafacturing 42%
45%

17%
Sales & Related 39%
44%

15%
Legal 42%
43%

12%
Installation & Maintenance 54%
34%

21%
Construction & Extraction 46%
33%

42%
Administrative & Clerical 48%
10%

Decrease Constant Increase

Due to the significant growth of Robots/Automation as well as

Information Technology, High Tech & Engineering and Computer &
Technology are forecasted to escalate the most in terms of human
resources demand in the future. In contrast, repetitive jobs such as
administrative and clerical may be replaced by machinery.

The most promising jobs 2018 - 2022 7

THE MOST TRENDING SKILLS
2018 - 2022

The development of new jobs or the transformation of the existing

ones will require new abilities and skills in the future. Based on the
needs of the employers, what are the abilities and skills that will
become trends in the next 5 years?

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 8

 ABILITIES NEEDED IN THE FUTURE

Problem Sensitivity 87%

Creativity 86%
Cognitive Flexibility 85%
Logical Reasoning 51%
Physical Strength 45%
Mathematical Reasoning 34%
Visualization 29%
Manual Dexterity and Precision 15%

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 9

 BASIC SKILLS NEEDED IN THE FUTURE

Active Learning 87%

ICT Literacy 77%
Monitoring Self and Others 77%
Critical Thinking 75%
Active Listening 58%
Oral Expression 50%
Written Expression 28%
Reading Comprehension 28%

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 10

 CROSS-FUNCTIONAL SKILLS NEEDED
IN THE FUTURE

Cooperating with Others 79%

People Management 67%

Emotional Intelligent 65%

Judgement and Decision Making 65%

Complex Problem Solving 63%

Negotiation 60%

Time Management 59%

Systems Analysis 58%

Persuasion 57%

Training and Teaching Others 54%

Management of Finacial Resources 50%

Service Orientation 43%

Troubleshooting 43%

Quality Control 41%

Technology and User Experience Design 31%

Management of Material Resources 26%

Programming 20%

Equipment Maintenance and Repair 18%

Equipment Operation and Control 17%

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 11

ABILITIES DEFINITION
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for
combining or grouping things in different ways

CREATIVITY
The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about
a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to
solve a problem

LOGICAL REASONING
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general
rules or conclusions (including finding a relationship among
seemingly unrelated events) and/or to apply general rules to
specific problems to produce answers that make sense

MANUAL DEXTERITY AND PRECISION

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements to
grasp, manipulate or assemble objects

MATHEMATICAL REASONING
The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or
formulas to solve a problem

PHYSICAL STRENGTH
The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull,
or carry objects

PROBLEM SENSITIVITY
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go
wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only
recognizing there is a problem

VISUALIZATION
The ability to imagine how something will look after it is
moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 12

BASIC SKILLS DEFINITION
ACTIVE LEARNING
Understanding the implications of new information for both
current and future problem-solving and decision-making

ACTIVE LISTENING
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking
time to understand the points being made, asking questions
as appropriate and not interrupting at inappropriate times

CRITICAL THINKING
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or
approaches to problems

ICT LITERACY
Using digital technology, communications tools, and networks
to access, manage, integrate, evaluate and create information

MONITORING SELF AND OTHERS

Monitoring/assessing performance of yourself, other
individuals or organizations to make improvements or take
corrective actions

ORAL EXPRESSION
Talking to others to convey information effectively

READING COMPREHENSION
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in
work-related documents

WRITTEN EXPRESSION
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the
needs of the audience

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 13

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
DEFINITION
COMPLEX PROBLEM SOLVING
Developing capacities used to solve novel, ill-defined problems
in complex, real-world settings

COORDINATING WITH OTHERS

Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions the relative
costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most
appropriate one

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they
react as they do

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and
determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed
and/or repairing machines or systems using the needed tools

EQUIPMENT OPERATION AND CONTROL

Watching gauges, dials or other indicators to make sure a
machine is working properly; controlling operations of
equipment or systems

JUDGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential
actions to choose the most appropriate one

MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES

Determining how money will be spent to get the work done,
and accounting for these expenditures.

MANAGEMENT OF MATERIAL RESOURCES

Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment,
facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.

NEGOTIATION
Bringing others together and try to reconcile differences

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
Motivating, developing and directing people as they work,
identifying the best people for the job

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 14

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
DEFINITION (CONT.)
PERSUASION
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior

PROGRAMMING
Writing computer programs for various purposes

QUALITY CONTROL
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services,
or processes to evaluate quality or performance

SERVICE ORIENTATION
Actively looking for ways to help people

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
Determining how a system should work and how changes
in conditions, operations, and the environment will
affect outcomes

TECHNOLOGY AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve
user needs

TIME MANAGEMENT
Managing one's own time and the time of others.

TRAINING AND TEACHING OTHERS

Teaching others how to do something

TROUBLESHOOTING
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to
do about it.

The most trending skills 2018 – 2022 15

WHAT DOES HR NEED TO
PREPARE FOR INDUTRY 4.0?

What does HR need to prepare for indutry 4.0? 16

 WHAT DOES HR NEED TO
PREPARE FOR INDUSTRY 4.0?
It can be seen that the market is experiencing considerable fluctuations in a
much shorter time than previous industrial revolutions. Therefore, having a
thorough understanding of the market knowledge and information is extremely
essential for HR professionals to be able to innovate timely and identify the
most appropriate strategies to attract and recruit talents.

RELIABLE MARKET SOURCES

Market analysis
VietnamWorks’ Newspapers and
articles on
market reports mass media
HR Insider

What does HR need to prepare for indutry 4.0? 17

 WHAT DOES HR NEED TO
PREPARE FOR INDUSTRY 4.0?
Once there is a certain fluctuation in the market, these are the
responses of Vietnamese HR professionals to these changes,
according to WEF's "The Future of Jobs" report.

Recruiting full-time employee possessing

skills suitable for new technology
87% 12% 1%

Developing automation 87% 8% 5%

Training current employees 82% 13% 5%

Outsourcing some business departments

from specialized vendors
69% 25% 6%

Letting employees learn from

their current job 68% 14% 18%

Recruiting part-time employee possessing

skills suitable for new technology
64% 29% 7%

Hiring freelancer possessing skills

suitable for new technology
61% 26% 13%

Strategizing to reduce staff lacking skills

suitable new technology
58% 18% 24%

Will Invest Probably Invest Probably Not Invest

What does HR need to prepare for indutry 4.0? 18

 WHAT DOES HR NEED TO
PREPARE FOR INDUSTRY 4.0?
Market fluctuations and the creation of new jobs result in a huge
demand for new abilities and skills in the 4.0 era. In addition to
recruiting full-time employees possessing skills suitable for new
technology, over 82% of HR professionals in Vietnam choose to
train the current human resources. These are the methods HR
professionals plan to apply in their training programs.

Internal Training 47%

Training through vendors 20%

What does HR need to prepare for indutry 4.0? 19

CONCLUSION

Conclusion 20
 The key technological factors that will cause
1 changes in the labor market over the next 5
years include: (1) Robots and Automation,
(2) Mobile Internet, Cloud Technology,
and (3) Processing Power, Big Data.

The key socio-economic factors that cause

2 market volatility in the next 5 years include:
(1) changes in nature of work, flexible work,
(2) development of elite labor, and (3) the
development of young demographic.

Top 3 most promising industries in the next

3 5 years are: (1) High Tech & Engineering,
(2) Computer & Technology, and (3) Arts,
Design, Sports, & Media.

Conclusion 21
 Top 3 abilities that will become important
4 in the next 5 years include: (1) Problem
Sensitivity, (2) Creativity, and (3) Cognitive
Flexibility.

Top 3 basic skills that will become

5 important in the next 5 years include:
(1) Active Learning, (2) ICT Literacy, and
(3) Managing Self and Others.

Top 3 cross-functional skills that will

6 become important in the next 5 years
include: (1) Cooperating with Others
(2) People Management, and (3) Emotional
Intelligence.

Conclusion 22
 Most employers choose to recruit new
7 human resources, in addition to training
existing employees when there are
changes in the labor market.

If training is required, HR professionals

8 primarily invest in internal training, rather
than cooperating with external training
providers.

In short, as society and especially the

9 labor market are constantly changing at a
rapid pace, regular updating of
information is necessary. Reputable
sources include: VietnamWorks’ market
reports, market analysis articles on
HR Insider, and other mainstream news
channels.

Conclusion 23
 VIETNAMWORKS
With over 8 million monthly visits, VietnamWorks is the leading
and longest running job website in Vietnam. Every year, 4.7
million job applications are delivered to more than 95 thousand
job openings on VietnamWorks.com. Since it was founded in
2002, VietnamWorks has continuously brought fresh jobs to 3.6
million registered professionals and always pioneered in
providing the best recruitment solutions to more than 15,000
companies, most of which are multinational corporations and
top companies in Vietnam. VietnamWorks’ large database of
experienced jobseekers and reliable employers is an invaluable
asset in Vietnam’s competitive recruitment market.

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