For too many students their university years end with them becoming disillusioned about their future job prospects.

Despite holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting for two years, 24-year-old Thu Thuy had no luck finding a job in Hanoi in her chosen field so decided to return home to nearby Bac Giang province and apply for a job as a textile worker. To get the job, though, she had to hide the fact she had earned a degree. According to friends at the company, if it was in her CV she would be overlooked.

More study, fewer opportunities

Ms. Thuy’s tale is hardly unique. Many university graduates only include their high school qualifications on their CV when they are forced to pursue manual work.

While it’s easier to train university graduates most employers prefer employees with a lower level of education as they will stay rather than viewing it as a temporary job, according to Ms. Thi Thoa, a human resources officer at the Quang Chau Industrial Zone in Bac Giang. Graduates will leave immediately after finding a better job and the company’s outlay on training goes to waste.

This is one factor behind the sharp increase in the number of unemployed graduates over recent years.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, 1,128,700 people were unemployed in the third quarter of 2015.

Despite a 14 per cent fall against the second quarter, the number of unemployed with higher levels of education increased, to 20 per cent. The rate in urban areas also rose, to 12 per cent.

Among university graduates, 225,500 are unemployed, up 13 per cent and nearly 30 per cent against the second quarter and the same period of 2014, respectively.

A further 117,300 people who graduated from high school and have a non-university tertiary education are also out of work and their numbers are also increasing.

Meanwhile, about 114,000 graduates and 135,000 high school graduates with a non-university tertiary education have manual jobs that require no tertiary studies.

The rising joblessness among these people is evidence of a major gap between supply and demand in the jobs market, according to Dr. Lan Huong, Director of the Institute of Labor Science and Social Affairs.

Of the 1 million or so students that finish high school every year, 90 per cent target entering university and the remainder apply for vocational training schools. Demand always exists for manual workers but young people prefer to continue their education after high school.

Vietnamese are locked in a “degree competition”, according to Professor Van Nhu Cuong, who has contributed to compiling textbooks and opened the country’s first private high school.

“Many vocational schools provide good quality studies that can ensure a job after graduation but only a few people apply,” he said.   

When she was nearing the end of her high school studies Ms. Thuy firmly believed that only a university degree would help her get a good job and allow her peasant family to escape from poverty.

After passing the university exam her parents sold their buffalo - a major source of their earnings - to pay her school fees.

However, their investment and her time have been wasted, as she chooses to only use her high school degree in pursuing employment.

Old perceptions of the power of a university degree persist among many poor people, according to Professor Cuong.

In the old days people with a high level of education usually had a good job and handsome salary. These days, however, it’s a completely different story.

A degree absent knowledge

While many parents hold on to this old perception there is also a lack of career guidance for high school students about to move on to university or other tertiary education.

Most schools only province general rather than specific advice based on the student’s ability and the opportunity of finding an appropriate university and, hopefully, future employment.

Information from universities, meanwhile, is just as vague. Duc Thinh, a final year high school student, said that he and his friends find it difficult to identify what employment opportunities will come from pursuing a particular degree.

Most students, he said, just try to get into a good university first and worry about employment later.

Understanding the “need” among young students to enter university, many businesspeople have been active in establishing private universities and colleges, some with low entry standards. Students who lack the qualifications for a traditional university can find an education at these institutions, which results in increasing numbers of graduates.

“These schools seem to target quantity rather quality for the labor market,” said Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep.

“If goods are in stock for two years it’s a major loss for an enterprise, but if students remain ‘in stock’ for two years after graduation the university still has its prepayment.”

When such schools care more about profit than education their offerings are bound to be poor. Some just open for students to obtain a bachelor’s degree instead of providing training that meets workforce demand, according to Professor Cuong, adding to the gap in supply and demand.

Many educational specialists agree that knowledge taught at universities and colleges is overly academic and impractical for life after graduation.

Moreover, the fluctuations of a market economy require educators adjust to match new circumstances.

A few years ago, for example, jobs in business, finance, banking, construction, telecommunications, and IT were very much in demand and a large number of graduates flocked to study these fields.

Schools must now cut entrance numbers for these studies and focus on other areas.

Ms. Hai Anh, a bachelor of international studies, studied a range of different subject at university, including basic accounting, international law, management, and European culture.

Upon graduation, however, she found it difficult to secure a job because her studies were in breadth but not depth. She found work as a translator, then worked in an office, and is now an English teacher.

“All I really got from university was English skills, which I could have got from doing a short course,” she said. 

Mr. Quang Dung, Director of a legal office, said he has had to overlook many graduates applying to his company because they can’t meet work requirements.

“We don’t need them to read concepts or terms they studied at school,” he said.

“They can easily look up this information when they need to. What we require is knowledge and skills that can be applied to practical situations.”

There is a clear absence of cooperation between enterprises and educators in training the future workforce.

Enterprises are also often blamed for the rising unemployment rate because of a perceived slowness in applying new and advanced technology that require highly-skilled staff, according to Mr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, Head of the Department of Occupational Education at the Ministry of Education and Training.

Unemployment occurs most often in urban areas as many young people flock to big cities seeking work, according to Ms. Huong.

While some graduates will accept manual employment, others would rather stay unemployed if they can’t work in their chosen field.

“In many developed countries it’s quite common for graduates to take on manual jobs,” she said.

“And many become successful from these tough beginnings. But in Vietnam, many prefer to be unemployed than take a ‘low-class’ and low-paid job underneath their qualifications.”

The Ministry of Education and Training has recently reported that reform will yet again be implemented to provide training that meets demand.

Quality standards will be applied to new universities and colleges and a reformed curriculum introduced that provides students with appropriate practical knowledge. Entry numbers at universities will also be revised.

Closer links between enterprises and educators will also be created, so that students receive useful career guidance and opportunities for internships and recruitment when they graduate.

Awareness among parents and students is to also be increased, so they can identify their desires and abilities and the demand in the economy and then make the right decision on what to study.

After entering university, students must invest much of their time and effort in being professional and acquiring necessary tools such as English fluency and basic IT knowledge, which all recruiters seek.

Soft skills such as communications, problem solving and time management will also receive more focus.

“No school or lecturer can teach you everything you need to find a good job,” said Mr. Vu Tuan Anh, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Management, which has a good reputation for providing training in soft skills and high-level management.

“You are given basic knowledge only, and it’s not enough. So you must train yourself as well.

Getting part-time jobs during your university years is also a good way to learn and prepare for future employment.”