Job seekers are interviewed at the Career Fair held by the HCM City University of Economics on April 17. — VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — More than 36,500 new jobs were created in HCM City in the first quarter, 1,800 more than the same period last year, according to the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

More than 80,500 found employment during the same period, a year-on-year increase of 4,100 people, a department report says.

It says that the labour market in the city is recovering gradually, with an increase of workers in industry-construction and service sectors and a decline in agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Of the 4.9 million strong workforce in the city, agriculture, fisheries and forestry account for just 0.96 per cent, while industry and construction and services sectors account for 37.15 per cent and 61.89 per cent, respectively.

The Q1/2022 labour market update released by payroll, recruitment & headhunting agency Adecco Vietnam shows hiring requests in the first quarter of this year was similar to the period last year.

However, the number of active job seekers and applicants reduced by approximately 20 per cent.

Nguyễn Hoàng Thanh Chương, recruitment business deputy director at Adecco HCM City, said: “The majority of skilled professionals find themselves in a good place and decide to stay with their current companies amidst the economic recovery with many good prospects ahead. On the other hand, enterprises continue to look for talent to drum up their business, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, leading to a noticeable labour shortage in these areas.”

Another large-scale hirer is the tourism industry, which was among the hardest hit by COVID-19. The full reopening of both inbound and outbound tourism since mid-March has happened with marked changes in travel patterns and tourist behavior.

Alongside this positive developments are concerns about degraded facilities, and more importantly, the lack of personnel and rusty skills after a long hiatus.

Hospitality firms are rushing to recruit and train staff at the moment.

In addition to traditional roles, tech-savvy positions are in-demand to ensure a smooth customer experience when booking, checking in, or interacting online. Many are recruiting and re-training former employees while looking for fresh graduates.

The first quarter also saw employers in Fintech, retail, and consumer goods sectors seek to hire more talents in sales and marketing, production and technology, and engineering roles.

“Recent recruitment trends show that Fintech together with the logistics and manufacturing industries are up and rising in Việt Nam. Hence, the spotlight is now on tech-focused roles like product manager, business analyst or software developer, as well as strategic quality, sourcing and engineering roles,” Chương said.

“Alongside the development of renewable energy, financial services and logistics sectors, hiring demand will raise for investment, sales and new market development manager,” he said.

Changing jobs

Although salary is not among the top three factors that motivate employees to stay with their current company, it is the most important one when they decide to change jobs, according to a report released by the recruitment service provider Navigos Group.

More than 17 per cent of respondents said salary was the most important factor followed by working environment and development opportunities.

The majority of respondents chose working environment - colleagues and job stability among the top three factors that keep them working with their current employer.

Work location was a factor for nearly 12 per cent of the respondents.

Nearly 14 per cent said they intended to change jobs in the next 3 to 12 months while nearly 23 per cent had no intention of changing jobs in the near future.

Around 42 per cent of the respondents said they would switch jobs if a better opportunity became available.

Fifteen per cent said they were still trying to find work while 2 per cent said they had found new jobs.

The survey covered more than 6,800 candidates working in 27 industries. — VNS