Vietnam to lack half a million IT professionals by 2020: report

Vietnam is forecast to face a serious shortage in information technology (IT) manpower in the next five years, according to a recent report prepared by local recruitment company VietnamWorks.

The current growth rate of IT human resources will lead to a lack of around 500,000 IT professionals in the Southeast Asian country by 2020, which makes up more than 78 percent of all the IT professionals required by the market by then, VietnamWorks said in the report.

For the last three years, the annual supply for IT human resources has grown at eight percent on average, outstripped by the average 47 percent growth rate of demand in IT jobs yearly, the firm elaborated.

If this situation persists, Vietnam will face a serious dearth of IT talent in the coming years, the Vietnamese headhunter said in the report released on November 26.

According to the report, the number of IT companies has increased 69 percent compared to 2012, but the number of software firms in particular has risen 124 percent over the course of the last four years.

The biggest growth rate in this industry is seen in the outsourcing sector, in which, according to advisory firm Tholons, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are among the top 20 best destinations for outsourcing services in the IT industry worldwide.

According to another specialized indicator, TechLooper’s data providing insights into the specific IT skills currently in demand, NET, C/C++, Java, PHP and Web developers are positions with the highest growth in the market last year, the VietnamWorks report said.

Meanwhile, Web and Java are expected to be the two most demanded skills for IT positions in Vietnam.

Although this is a big challenge, it is also an opportunity for academic institutions and human resource professionals to integrate more and help provide solutions for bringing more qualified IT manpower to the market, Paul Espinas, marketing director of VietnamWorks, asserted.

Based on market observations and report data, Espinas proposed four points to be improved for the IT market in Vietnam, including an enhancement in foreign language skills, such as English or Japanese, for IT professionals and improvement in soft skills, like communication, leadership, and time management.

The marketing director also recommended that technology updates should be integrated into academic curricula nationwide, and a proper training plan for IT professionals should be implemented. 

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!