VietNamNet Bridge – Supply-demand imbalances are distorting HCM City's labour market with surplus workers on the one hand and lack of skilled labour on the other, experts say.

A survey on 96,000 people carried out by the city's Center of Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information (FALMI) found the supply of trained workers has increased gradually this year.

In the third quarter, labour supply increased by 2,000 over the previous two quarters, and of these, 52 per cent were university graduates (who had completed four-year undergraduate courses), 28 per cent were college graduates (three-year courses) and 13 per cent had received vocational training (two-year courses).

Most of these were new graduates who lacked experience and were finding it very difficult to get a job, the survey found.

Twenty-five per cent of the respondents were seeking jobs in accountancy and auditing, 14 per cent in human resources and office administration, 11 per cent in marketing, six per cent in IT, six per cent for managerial positions, five per cent in construction and architecture, and three per cent in logistics.

Meanwhile, what the labour market needs most is skilled workers and professional managers.

This mismatch between demand of workers and enterprise has been a feature of the city's labour market that has not been addressed adequately, experts say.

Tran Anh Tuan, FALMI deputy director, told Vietnam Economic Times demand for jobs hiked during the third quarter as experienced workers sought new jobs and fresh graduates entered the market.

He said the demand for jobs in accountancy, human resources, construction, banking and management was much higher than the need of enterprises.

Enterprises had also complained for long that it was difficult for them to find applicants who have the qualities and skills they need, further widening the gap between demand and supply.

Tuan said this gap must be addressed by making graduate courses more practical and job-oriented.

For this, effective co-operation was necessary between educational institutions and enterprises, he said, adding that improved communication channels should be established at events like job fairs.

Other experts said proper career counselling must be provided to deal with the overwhelming preference among students for university and college degrees as opposed to vocational training qualifications.

They said this should happen in tandem with major improvements in the quality of vocational training provided so that they meet the real needs of enterprises.

VietNamNet/VNS