VietNamNet Bridge – The IT community has expressed scepticism about a report by PIKOM, a Malaysian information and communication technology company, that says Vietnamese engineers receive the best salaries in ASEAN countries.

Analyzing the data from PayScale, a software and data service provider, PIKOM compared the income of IT engineers in 70 cities in 13 countries in accordance with the purchasing power parity (PPP) theory, and found that the most attractive income was being paid to the engineers in Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Vietnamese IT engineers’ earned 2.19 times higher than their Malaysian counterparts, while Hong Kong engineers’ earned 2.12 times higher than Malaysian.

According to PIKOM, an IT expert in Malaysia received 7,152 RM in 2013, on average, or $47 million a year.

The association pointed out that besides network security and Big Data analysts, the engineers with Java, C#, C++, dot Net, SharePoint skills and web application developers are the most in demand.

One of the most significant findings was that IT engineers in Da Nang in Vietnam, as measured by this system, earn more than colleagues in Seattle, New York, Dallas and Shanghai.

The conclusion has surprised Vietnamese IT bosses and engineers, who believe they are underpaid.

Vu The Binh, CEO of NetNam JSC, was surprised about the reported average income of Malaysian IT engineers, commenting that if it is true, Malaysian engineers don’t earn enough.

In Vietnam, with VND4 million (less than $200) a month, one cannot have an easy life in big cities.

The report showed that in 2013, the Malaysian GDP per capita based on PPP was $17,748 in 2013, while the Vietnamese one was $4,012, or four times lower.

“As such, with an annual income of VND47 million, Malaysian IT engineers would find it hard to cover their basic needs,” he said.

Also according to Binh, medium- and high-ranking IT experts at large technology groups can receive about VND20 million a month, or $900, while experts at smaller IT firms receive VND7-16 million.

In general, highly qualified IT engineers in Vietnam have higher incomes than staff in other business sectors.

In fact, many IT firms complain that it is now very difficult to find highly qualified workers, though the number of candidates with university degrees is relatively high.

Binh thinks the short supply of qualified workers could be the reason why IT firms have to offer high salaries to attract good candidates.

According to VINASA, the Vietnam Association of Software and IT Service Providers, new university graduates can receive VND4-5 million a month, while excellent new graduates can receive up to VND6 million. Those who have two years or more of experience can earn VND7-8 million.

Meanwhile, project directors’ income is between VND13-16 million a month, and  programmers who work for five years or more for the same company can receive more than $1,000 (VND20 million). Higher salaries are usually offered to those who have good soft skills and foreign-language skills.

A representative of VINASA noted that the IT engineers’ average income has been increasing as more and more foreign IT firms have arrived in Vietnam.

The firms try to attract qualified Vietnamese staff by offering higher salaries than Vietnamese companies.

Buu Dien