According to TopCV's annual recruitment report, Information Technology (IT) – particularly in software – remains the top-paying career path in Vietnam for the 2025–2026 period.

As Vietnam enters a new economic phase, with GDP growth projected to exceed 8%, the labor market is facing a "dual challenge": a shortage of high-skilled professionals and the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence (AI), which is reshaping entire industries.

The sixth edition of TopCV’s annual recruitment report, titled “Hiring trends 2026: Proactive in an era of change,” presents a comprehensive picture of labor supply and demand through transparent quantitative analysis.

The data was compiled from the responses of over 3,000 hiring managers and workers across diverse sectors during Q3/2025. It also included analysis of nearly 300,000 job postings on the platform, along with external reference sources.

IT leads in average salary rankings

Market data confirms that IT – particularly software – continues to top the chart in terms of average salary. In a fiercely competitive talent landscape, companies are offering exceptional compensation packages to attract deep tech experts.

Notably, Solution Architects with over five years of experience earn a median salary of approximately US$2,320 per month.

Senior management roles, such as Head or Deputy Head of IT departments, offer median salaries around US$2,200.

Specialist positions aligned with emerging technologies, like AI Engineers and Data Engineers, also see high median monthly incomes of over US$1,580 – even without management responsibilities.

Beyond IT, high-earning sectors include Legal & Audit (around US$1,850) and Business Management (roughly US$1,650) at the managerial level.

Within IT, the five most difficult positions to fill are AI Engineer, Bridge Engineer, Solution Architect, Mobile App Developer, and Software Architect.

The primary reasons cited are a shortage of high-skilled candidates (55%), intense competition from major tech firms (49.6%), and limited supply of qualified applicants (34.3%).

Sales dominates recruitment, but quality trumps quantity

Despite attractive IT salaries, Business/Sales remains the top recruitment focus for companies, accounting for 47.5% of total market demand.

The 2026 hiring outlook shows a significant shift from quantity to quality. According to TopCV, 52.2% of businesses are adopting a “same-size, higher-efficiency” strategy, rather than mass recruitment.

Other sectors with strong hiring demand include IT – Software (8.64%), Marketing/Communications/Advertising (8.22%), and Customer Service (6.1%). 

Five sectors most vulnerable to AI disruption

AI is no longer a futuristic concept – 40.7% of businesses have already integrated it into their strategic plans. However, its rise poses a threat to jobs that involve repetitive tasks.

TopCV identifies five sectors most vulnerable to AI-driven disruption: Customer Service (30.1%), Marketing/Communications/Advertising (27.51%), Business/Sales (18.32%), IT – Software (16.92%), and Finance/Accounting (14.97%).

“These are the industries most likely to see partial workforce reductions due to AI,” the report notes, “because of the high percentage of repetitive tasks involved. This calls for continuous learning and upskilling from workers to remain relevant.”

To adapt, TopCV experts recommend building a “dual competency framework” that combines strong professional expertise with AI literacy.

A full 59.1% of businesses are prioritizing in-house AI training, offering opportunities for those ready to upskill and reskill into digital talent for the new era.

In addition to hard skills, digital and soft skills are increasingly essential. The report shows many candidates, especially in IT, still lack key capabilities like communication/presentation (47.3%), critical thinking (39.7%), and product mindset (33.6%).

Strengthening these skills will help professionals become high-quality hires with a deeper understanding of business contexts.

In the IT sector in particular, companies place strong emphasis on real-world experience demonstrated through project portfolios and familiarity with relevant tech stacks.

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