Recruitment demand for mid- and senior-level managers in the first quarter increased 73 per cent year-on-year, according to a Navigos Search report released on April 10.

The figures are based on recruitment requests submitted by its clients during the quarter.

The Top 5 categories in recruitment demand for mid- and senior-level managers were Manufacturing, IT, Consumer Goods & Retail, Banking & Finance, and Business Services.

Business Services made the list for the first time, with the greatest demand seen in the fields of Financial Advisory, Management Advisory, Promotion-Advertising, and Education.

In Manufacturing, the Industrial Construction and Civil Construction fields accounted for most demand, followed by Electricity and Electronics. In Consumer Goods, the highest demand was in Food & Beverages and Fashion & Cosmetics.

In IT, recruitment demand for developers and engineers in embedded software increased significantly.

Demand has doubled at many companies compared to last year but there remains a shortage of qualified and experienced developers and IT engineers in Vietnam, with the biggest difficulty being a lack of English skills among potential candidates.

Several famous global fashion brands are now officially licensed in Vietnam and with the support of recruitment agencies such as Navigos Search are hiring employees.

“Hot” positions related to Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, and Administration.

Local distributors working with these brands previously handled recruitment but now the brands are officially licensed they prefer to recruit talent themselves.

“Their recruitment demand increases because they must follow their global head office’s policies,” a senior consultant at Navigos Search said.

According to Navigos Search’s figures, in the first quarter the highest salaries were paid to those holding a senior-level management position in Real Estate, at some VND240 million ($10,590) a month.

Mid- and senior-level managers in manufacturing, trading, consumer goods, and others earned monthly salaries in the range of VND100 million ($4,415) to VND180 million ($7,945).

VN Economic Times