Vietnamese workforce optimistic about ASEAN common market
Up to 92% of Vietnamese professionals see the establishment of the regional ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as a good opportunity to develop their career, according to a recent survey conducted by recruitment firm VietnamWorks.
As many as 52 percent of the respondents believe they will have more opportunities to work with and learn from foreign experts from other Southeast Asian countries, and 46 percent of them say international work culture will transform Vietnam's work culture for the better.
As many as 70 percent of those who are fond of AEC integration think Vietnamese professionals have enough skills to compete with foreign talent, according to the survey on 2,500 professionals from companies of all sizes across Vietnam.
Among those who are not in favor of AEC integration, 84 percent say the biggest setback will be that there will be more English-speaking competitors in Vietnamese labor market.
They have also been concerned that employers may have leverage to decrease salary and benefits standard because there are more and more job-seekers.
These perspectives reflect the fact that a small group of Vietnamese professionals are less confident about their English skills as well as their negotiation skills in terms of salary and benefits.
The AEC will be launched at the end of this year, to facilitate a free flow of skilled workers, services, investment and goods among ASEAN members.
Nguyen Thi Van Anh, managing director of recruitment firm Navigos Search, said that among the eight industries that will see a free labor movement, Vietnam’s labor market can only accommodate the demand of general accounting and manufacturing engineer positions.
For senior engineer positions, especially in the IT industry, it still falls short of demand, she said.