Information Technology Jobs in High Demand

In a recent survey conducted by Vietnam Works, a leading online job search and recruitment website, it was noted that the demand for employees in the Information Technology (IT) sector has doubled in the last 3 years.

Last year saw 15,000 jobs posted on the Vietnam Works website.  While Vietnam is considered one of the most affordable for IT outsourced services, salaries are starting to rise and a software engineer can expect to earn between US$ 1,300 to 2,000 a month (and in some cases plus benefits), if the candidate is experienced in the latest technologies. Expectations from those surveyed are that salaries will rise between 6-20 percent in 2017.

Much of the growth in demand comes from the growth in big outsourcing companies, but also from newly established product development companies.

Ho Chi Minh City was the main tech center with 53% of jobs posted being for HCMC and 43% for Hanoi. Programming skills are currently the most sought after qualification in both cities.

There is a high expectation amongst employees that the employer will support staff to obtain professional certification and also provide the opportunity to travel and the industry is starting to demand better working conditions and flexible hours. However, it also seems that many IT professionals are always looking for more money. 40% of people surveyed said they would job hop if they were offered more money.

While more and more companies are looking at Vietnam for data centers, call centers, and software development, the number of qualified employees is not keeping pace with demand so salaries and benefits are rising with the increased demand. Companies willing to invest in training for technical and soft-skills are better able to retain their employees, and will benefit in the longer term from the skill sets, learning ability, and work ethic of the Vietnamese people.