The survey, which involved nearly 500 businesses and 1,500 candidates, highlights the growing demand for AI talent in Vietnam.

On October 7, VietnamWorks inTECH, Navigos Group’s IT recruitment brand, released the report "Current Trends in IT Recruitment During the AI Wave (2024-2025)". The report, based on surveys conducted in July and August, provides key insights for businesses and candidates about the impact of AI on Vietnam’s IT job market.

The report shows that the IT job market in Vietnam was relatively stable in the first half of 2024, with a job-switching rate of only 32%. However, the future outlook is dynamic, as over 65% of IT professionals are either actively seeking or planning to look for new jobs in the next 6-12 months.

The top three factors that IT professionals prioritize when looking for new jobs are salary (equal to or higher than their current position), career advancement opportunities, and financial stability of the company.

To secure new positions quickly, many IT professionals are willing to take on more responsibilities and handle multiple tasks—an increase of 10% compared to last year’s survey. Navigos Group experts note that competition in the IT job market is becoming increasingly intense.

Social media remains a popular tool for IT professionals searching for jobs. Notably, despite its recent launch, 4.4% of surveyed IT professionals are using Threads to find work, and 2.4% of businesses are using it to recruit talent.

Among employers, the most challenging roles to fill are product managers and directors, accounting for 25.6% of responses. The majority of companies believe that candidates for these positions often fall short of the required qualifications.

Looking ahead to 2025, businesses anticipate a diverse range of hiring needs, from technical development roles to management and security positions, with a strong focus on AI and data-related roles. Notably, Backend/Frontend Developer is expected to be the most sought-after role (22.5%), followed by Product Owner/Product Manager/Project Manager (15.7%).

The Navigos Group survey also revealed that many companies are ready to offer higher salaries to AI professionals compared to other IT roles. Specifically, 43.7% of businesses reported paying AI professionals 10-20% more, while 18.4% said they offer 20-50% higher salaries for AI talent.

Discussing the impact of AI on the industry, Phan Thanh Hien, Product and Technology Director at Navigos Group, commented that recent breakthroughs in AI, especially generative AI, present numerous opportunities for businesses to improve work efficiency and offer innovative AI-based solutions.

For IT professionals, AI will significantly boost productivity, particularly in roles like software development, testing, and product design. Those who know how to harness the power of AI will outperform their peers who stick to traditional methods, potentially leading to the displacement of workers unable to adapt.

AI will also transform how existing IT roles are performed, requiring substantial skill shifts across the industry. For example, programmers will need to learn how to use AI to generate code, focusing more on solution design, testing, and debugging. Testers will need to adopt AI tools for automated test script generation, saving time and increasing efficiency.

"AI will accelerate automation, but the role of humans in evaluation, optimization, and quality control remains essential," Hien emphasized.

Navigos Group experts also highlighted that the biggest challenge for IT professionals and recruiters will be adapting to AI as it becomes mainstream.

Generative AI offers tremendous opportunities, but it also requires both employees and businesses to change traditional working methods.

Rather than seeing AI as an obstacle, IT professionals should learn to use AI to enhance efficiency, improve customer experiences, and create faster, more effective solutions.

“To overcome these challenges, it’s crucial for IT professionals and businesses to develop a flexible mindset and be open to acquiring new knowledge. IT professionals should equip themselves with AI skills to optimize work processes, reduce manual tasks, and focus on more creative tasks. For businesses, investing in training and fostering a technology-driven culture will enable employees to effectively leverage AI,” Hien suggested.

Van Anh