A job fair for students at a university in HCM City. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - While many workers in several industries in Ho ChiMinh City lost jobs in the first quarter amid the COVID-19 pandemic,recruitment demand in other fields rose.
A report from the HCM City Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and LabourMarket Information found that recruitment demand from enterprises in the cityin the first quarter fell by 27.3 percent compared to the same period lastyear. Many of the enterprises operate in the fields of transport, education,hospitality and tourism, and textile-footwear.
Out of 163 surveyed enterprises in the city, 8.6 percent reduced working hoursand 6.7 percent lacked jobs.
According to a report from Navigos Search, which provides recruitment servicesfor mid- and high-level staff, businesses in the tourism and hospitality sectorlimited recruitment, while candidates were reluctant to look for newopportunities in the first quarter.
The garment-textile industry, which was heavily affected, has had to giveemployees paid leave, unpaid leave or rotational leave. Some have had to paythe minimum wage (for the region) or gradually cut positions.
Navigos Search said the shift of production from China to Vietnam in the fieldsof electrical/electronics and interior wood products has continued from lastyear.
However, recruitment decisions of investors have been delayed because of thepolicy of restricting movement between countries amid the pandemic.
In addition, some project leaders and important staff could not return to Vietnamafter travelling outside the country, which has caused delays inimplementation. Some new factory construction projects are also behind scheduledue to the social distancing required between construction workers.
Many businesses have become more proactive in applying technology such asonline initial interviews and will make official decisions when they meetface-to-face with candidates.
In the first quarter, the banking industry witnessed many shifts of high-levelpersonnel.
Additionally, there was an excess in human resources because of the epidemicsituation, with some banks having to restructure to reduce personnel.
Under the influence of COVID-19, bank business projects were delayed, while achange in target customers caused banks to adjust their business strategies.
The development trend of digital banking that started last year was expected toincrease recruitment demand this year. But banks are now focusing theirfinancial resources to address difficulties caused by COVID-19, and recruitmentin this area did not increase in the first quarter.
As one of the industries less affected by COVID-19, e-commerce, especially foressential goods, has been thriving.
Labour demand is high for business development, marketing and technical jobs ine-commerce.
Although the supply of human resources for e-commerce is still scarce becauseit is a relatively new industry in Vietnam, businesses are giving priority torecruiting candidates who have experience in the industry and are paying highsalaries to attract talent.
The salary range for candidates in the industry tends to be higher thantraditional businesses and will remain that way for the next three to fiveyears. Vietnamese candidates are also being given more priority because oflanguage and work culture.
In the coming time, there will be many new investors in the Vietnamese market,which will increase recruitment demand in the e-commerce field.
Other industries such as energy, IT, and manufacturing had high recruitmentdemand for mid- and high-level personnel in the first quarter.
Demand for mid- and high-level jobs in Japanese enterprises in Vietnam wasstable. However, some Japanese candidates have had to wait longer for visas andwork permits, so their first work day may be delayed.
As a result, some Japanese enterprises have considered expanding opportunitiesfor Vietnamese candidates for managerial positions.
Nguyen Phuong Mai, managing director of Navigos Search, said: “The unexpectedimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic globally has become a difficult problem forbusinesses to maintain their human resources and operations activities.”
"However, once the pandemic is controlled, recruitment demand will thrivebecause businesses will need human resources to revive production and businessactivities,” Mai added./.
VNA
