VietNamNet Bridge - The majority of employers are not hiring candidates with low working skills even if they have advanced degrees.

A report of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs (ILSSA) shows that one million people remained unemployed in the first quarter of 2015, including 178,000 people with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Tran Anh Tuan, a renowned labor expert, noted that more and more workers with higher education were unemployed. They focused on studying to obtain more knowledge, but do not pay appropriate attention to upgrading working skills.

The director of a Hanoi-based trading company noted that candidates with high education often have low skills.

“In general, the candidates with master’s degree will not be shortlisted at our recruitment campaigns. We are a trading company, and we don’t need workers with ‘overly high’ education. We more highly appreciate the candidates with skills and experience,” he said.

“Except businesses which specialize in carrying out research or high-technology firms, the majority of businesses don’t need workers with a master’s degree or doctorate,” he noted.

Dr. Huynh Thanh Hung, vice president of the HCM City Forestry and Agriculture, noted that many new university graduates were jobless because they required high salaries which cannot be paid by employers. 

However, continuing study remains the choice of many university graduates. Some believe that higher education will give them more privileges, while others continue studying because they find it hard to look for jobs.

Tran Thi Mai from the HCM University of Social Sciences and Humanity confirmed that the number of postgraduates attending training courses for master’s degree had increased year after year.

Every year, the school enrolls 550 postgraduates for master’s training courses in different majors. The tuition is about VND10 million a year and a training course lasts two to three years on average.

Many university graduates, instead of working to get experience and skills, decide to continue studying, hoping that higher degree levels will help them get promotions in their future jobs.

With a master’s degree, they will have deeper knowledge, which make them more qualified in employers’ eyes. 

However, as an analyst commented, they missed job opportunities in the last 2-3 years when they studied for their master’s degree, and they lag behind their friends two to three years in experience.

Dr of Educational Psychology Nguyen Tung Lam noted that it would be better if people continue studying for a master’s degree after a period of work, because this would allow them to obtain theoretical knowledge which they can apply in their work.

NCDT