Prioritizing Recent Graduates and Skipping the Probation Period, Yet Businesses Still Can’t Hire Enough Qualified Individuals

In contrast to the sluggish job market, many businesses are experiencing difficulties attracting quality candidates.

High Demand

Ms. Nguyen Ngoc, a talent acquisition specialist at MiTek Vietnam Limited Company (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City), stated that the company aims to increase its workforce from over 2,500 to 3,000 employees in 2023.  Among these, positions in high demand include structural design engineers, architectural draftsmen, and estimators. In 2024, the company plans to expand its workforce to 4,000 to 5,000 employees.

To supplement the shortage, MiTek Vietnam Limited Company is extending opportunities to recent graduates. These candidates will receive training in business-related knowledge and English when they join, with training periods ranging from 1 to 3 months, and they will receive full-time salaries. According to Ms. Ngoc, MiTek Vietnam Limited Company is a subsidiary of an American conglomerate that provides services related to wooden house design for foreign markets. “Despite some economic downturn, our operations in Vietnam are expanding, requiring more staff,” Ms. Ngoc said.

On the other hand, representatives of Fursys Vietnam Limited Company (Fursys VN; Nhon Trach 6B Industrial Zone, Nhon Trach District, Dong Nai Province) mentioned that Fursys Vietnam is looking to recruit a large number of interns. After a 2-month internship, if candidates meet the requirements, the company will offer immediate employment, bypassing the probation period. This representative also informed that the company plans to put two new workshops into operation in 2024, hence the high demand for highly skilled and blue-collar workers. Currently, the company needs to hire approximately 40-50 new workers every week. Despite the somewhat stagnant job market, the company has been maintaining consistent growth, with regular overtime work by employees.

According to Mr. La Thanh Hien, Head of Human Resources at Jinyu (Vietnam) Tire Limited Company (Phuoc Dong Industrial Zone, Trang Bang Town, Tay Ninh Province), the company is actively seeking candidates for various technical positions: quality control, automation, electrical maintenance, on-site production specialists, and export-import specialists. In 2023, the company’s workforce needs have increased by 20% compared to the previous year, and in 2024, it is expected to increase by 50% due to the construction of a new production facility.

Challenges

With such high demand, companies struggle to find enough personnel.  To attract young, high-quality professionals, Jinyu Vietnam has established a program for young talent with less than 2 years of experience. Upon joining the organization, employees receive 2 years of training to enhance their skills. During this period, candidates earn an income of $450 (approximately 11 million VND).  Furthermore, outstanding individuals can participate in short training courses in China.

Mr. La Thanh Hien mentioned that the biggest challenge is that most initial candidates apply, thinking that the company’s office is in Ho Chi Minh City, but when they learn that the company is in a province, they become reluctant. Therefore, the company often recruits personnel living in Tay Ninh or remote provinces, such as the Central and Western regions. “Finding candidates in nearby provinces of Ho Chi Minh City is very rare. Another limitation is that we don’t have transportation for employees, so we face many obstacles,” Mr. Hien stated.

Similarly, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh, the manager of the strategic partnership department of Human Resources at Construction Company No. 1 Joint Stock Company (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), revealed that most candidates prioritize working in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the company has numerous construction projects in the Central provinces, especially in transportation infrastructure. Therefore, the company greatly needs personnel such as on-site construction supervisors, quality control engineers, and estimators.

According to Ms. Thanh, for each new project, the company needs to hire an additional 20 positions on average. Despite the increasing demand for recruitment, candidates do not meet expectations. To create a nearby team, the company has launched a rookie management program to attract final-year students. Besides formal contracts, these candidates receive benefits like full-time staff, on-site allowances, holiday bonuses, and more. “The number of students specializing in transportation infrastructure is not high, making it difficult to find suitable candidates. Furthermore, some highway construction projects require experienced personnel who have participated in similar projects. This is also a major barrier for newly graduated candidates,” Ms. Thanh noted.

10,000 Engineering Job Opportunities

Mr. Tran Viet Toan, Director of the Center for Student Support and Employment at the University of Technology (Ho Chi Minh City National University), assessed that despite the sluggish job market, there are still significant career opportunities for engineering students.  Every week, companies send job recruitment information to the university, and the engineering sector has 10,000 job opportunities in the year. Recently, the university organized a job fair, bringing together 105 companies offering more than 5,000 job and internship opportunities.

May Trinh (Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper)