IT job demand continues to boom

Information superhighway: Top technology companies participated in the  二0 一 六 Tech Expo job fair held in HCM City. Photo vnreview.vn

HCM CITY — Job demand in the IT industry is higher than ever and will continue to grow in the near future, according to a report from VietnamWorks, a job recruitment website.

The number of IT jobs posted on the website has doubled in the past three years from  六, 七 九 二 in  二0 一 三 to  一 四, 九 九 七 last year, the  二0 一 七 Report of Salary, Benefits and Skills of the IT industry in Việt Nam showed.

Việt Nam is one of the most affordable countries for IT outsourcing services in the world.

Fifteen years ago, the IT industry was mostly dominated by big outsourcing companies. Now, the trend is moving to quality IT services with more product development companies setting up their development centres in Việt Nam.

HCM City continues to be the biggest tech hub in the country, with  五 三 per cent of jobs posted, while Hà Nội has emerged as a major competitor with  四 三 per cent posted last year.

Based on the data collected from VietnamWorks site last year, and the surveyed results from IT jobseekers in Việt Nam, a software engineer with experience in the latest technologies can earn US$ 一, 三00-$ 二,000 or more per month.

Eighty-one per cent of employers who participated in the survey have planned for performance assessments and salary reviews this year, with salaries expected to increase from  六 per cent to  二0 per cent in  二0 一 七.

Employee benefit progra妹妹es to attract and retain IT professionals usually focus on motivation and recognition.

Companies are providing office spaces to make employees “feel at home”, and are offering career opportunities and bonuses.

Benefits for employees are more diverse, including career growth with training and business travel to the US, Europe, Japan and Australia, a  一 三th or  一 四th month salary,  attractive bonuses, stock sharing, open modern working spaces and flexible hours with more work-life balance.

According to the survey of VietnamWorks,  四0 per cent of IT professionals said they would consider changing jobs if a better salary and benefits were on offer.

IT certifications are considered a standard for candidate assessment.

Fifty-four per cent of IT companies are willing to pay higher salaries to professionals who hold appropriate IT certificates.

Project Management, Agile, Cisco, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services are the top certifications valued by employers.

According to the survey, IT professionals receive financial support from their company for training costs in English, IT skills, and leadership and project management skills.

On the other hand,  七 九 per cent of survey participants said they were learning new skills on their own via the internet.

Information provided in the report was based on data collected from IT jobs posted on VietnamWorks in past years and a survey conducted of  二, 四00 of IT professionals and  七0 companies in Việt Nam.

The report, which provides insights to tech professionals in Việt Nam, will be conducted annually.  —VNS