Jobs in Vietnam

In recent years, the continuous growth in the industrial sector and expansion of the service sector has provided career opportunities for foreigners in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, two main leading cities, in term of job availability across Vietnam. Followed these two cities are Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Hai Duong and Ba Ria Vung Tau that also attract direct foreign investment, which promises innumerable employment opportunities for expatriates.

Jobs for expats in Vietnam

Expatriates interested in working in Vietnam should be aware that most of the growth takes place in tourism, construction and information technology industries. However, it does not mean that there is no work in other fields. The mining, manufacturing, water generation and power sectors are also growing because Vietnam is working to better develop its natural resources, provide clean water and generate power, which requires specialist skilled labour from expatriates.

Besides, there have been a lot of vacancies for foreign managers and workers in leather shoes, garment industry and printing industry, etc. and exists a long term need for teachers of English at private language schools and other subjects like science, mathematics, biology etc. in international primary and secondary schools.

As with most countries, the trend here is to hire locally and big multinational companies/corporations like Coca-cola, Nike, Price Waterhouse Coopers … prefer to send their experts from overseas to open a business in Vietnam, but the demand of foreign expertise is still high here. The reason is that hiring foreigners is the only solution for the current shortage of local candidates for executive management positions.

Where to find it?

The internet is a good source for expatriates to look for jobs in Vietnam.  Vietnam Works is one of the largest job websites and a web-recruiting pioneer, matching people with jobs and matching companies with top talent over the internet since 2002. Besides, the Manpower Network, is also known as the world leader in the employment services industry. It was established in Vietnam in 2008, creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of employment.

Pay rates in Vietnam

According to Navigos Group’s Vietnam Salary survey in 2008, educational attainment seems to be an important factor that determines salaries especially in entry or junior level positions. Holders of Master Degrees can earn an average gross pay of 30,820 USD per year compared to a holder of Bachelor’s Degree who in average earns about 10,263 USD per year. Do note that this number includes English teachers who are the most common expats in Vietnam, Management position quite a bit more.

Pay relativities comparing three prominent industries in 2008, Finance, Consumer and Manufacturing further validated that Finance industry pays the highest at about 12,510 USD net annual. Consumer Goods pays slightly lower at about 12,370 USD and in Manufacturing the figure is 10,000 USD net per year. All figures are averages only.

The pay rates may be lower than overseas, but the lower costs of living here ensure expats to live well with their Vietnamese salary.

To conclude, it is not difficult for an expat to find a job in Vietnam; yet it is important to be patient as it often takes three to six months to find an appropriate position here, as advised by Herb Cochran, executive director of AmCham in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

/expat.vn