The report surveyed 1,257 IT professionals, 80 per cent aged 25 to 35. Among the trained labour force, the group aged 25-34 occupies the highest proportion at 76.4 per cent, as per the 2021 Statistical Yearbook of Vietnam, making it the highest percentage of the population with the fastest growth in Vietnam.

Of note, 84 per cent of IT professionals taking the survey earned formal degrees from colleges/universities in IT and related fields.

This is a positive sign regarding a skilled technical workforce and ease for employees who want to deploy further training, facilitating companies’ development.

Entry-level IT positions often do not require a college degree; nevertheless, it is seen as a must for competition and promotion. IT graduates, for instance, earn 20 per cent higher than peers without an IT-related degree.

The report said IT professionals are generally clearly focused on their development path. In the short term, they desire to advance their English, technical skills, and knowledge, concentrating on learning new computer languages such as Python, TypeScript, and Go.

In the long term, professionals aim for management positions, which can bring higher earnings. When it comes to factors influencing their decision to settle at one company, 36 per cent of respondents care about a clear development path, while over 32 per cent actively look for promotion opportunities.

In terms of salaries, professionals in job positions regarding Gaming, Data, AI and Machine Learning, and Product Management and Business Analysis secure a higher wage than those in other areas.

A Product Owner/Product Manager/Business Analyst employee with three-year experience has a median monthly income of VND33 million ($1,430), about $430 higher than the monthly salary of a Front-end Developer with the same experience.

New and trendy programming languages are offering higher salaries. For instance, professionals mastering Python, TypeScript, and Go earn an average of VND30-40 million ($1,300-$1,735) per month, whilst employees with HTML/CSS and JavaScript earn from VND16-26 million ($695-$1,130), respectively.

The gender gap in employment has not changed over the years. Information technology is still a male-dominant field; 81.5 per cent of survey respondents are male. Most female professionals work as Testers, QA/QC (quality assurance and quality control), Project and Product Managers, and positions regarding Data/AI.

Resilient market for employment and investment

Researchers estimate that the digital economy is worth $11.5 trillion globally, equivalent to 15.5 per cent of global GDP. Information technology is ranked third among the top five industries expecting double-digit growth over the next decade.

Vietnam is part of the picture when witnessing information technology and related industries growing and appealing to more and more employees.

SAAS (Software as a service), Finance, and E-commerce companies are now attracting the highest number of IT professionals, with 24.4 per cent, 14.7 per cent, and 13 per cent of respondents, respectively.

Finance and Banking are the top fastest-growing industries in 2022, while e-commerce is the third top trend for Asia’s startups.

COVID-19 has brought many opportunities for IT companies and professionals to experience flexible workplaces and realise their potential.

IT employees care more about the hybrid working mode, according to over 70 per cent of those surveyed. They also find many job offers that include flexible policies on working models, posing a sign that the industry is adapting to hybrid modes to respond to other unexpected scenarios such as the pandemic.

The ability to work remotely is an appealing factor to IT professionals, and over 48 per cent find it attractive. A total of 14.5 per cent of respondents say they have more chances to work as freelancers for companies or projects without any hindrances.

Source: VIR