VietNamNet Bridge – It’s not easy finding qualified engineers and mid to high level managers for projects run by Microsoft and Samsung in Vietnam, Navigos managing director Nguyen Van Anh said.

Navigos, the leading provider of executive search and management consultancy services in the country, is currently scouring the nation in a frantic attempt to staff key positions for the leading multinational firms.

Employers in many other sectors of the Vietnamese economy are also facing labour shortages, under the dual pressures of a booming economy and lack of qualified employees to plug the gap.

A representative from the Vietnam Human Resources Club (VNHR) recently reported that the pharmaceutical sector has been experiencing healthy growth and is facing a critical lack of workers, particularly at the medical sales staff level and upper echelon of management, the representative said.

Employers are looking for qualified candidates that possess excellent communication skills both written and oral, particularly in foreign languages such as English, Japanese and Korean.

The high-tech industry, telecommunications, manufacturing and services are other industries that are in trouble and need people, speakers from VNHR and Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Brokers Inc. said at a recent conference in Hanoi addressing the human resource problem.

And with the economy expanding, they added, it is more difficult to recruit because of competitive job alternatives in other sectors.

Le Hong Phuc, Samsung Vina Electronics personnel director, said that because the job market for quality candidates is so good, they are seeking higher salaries and better benefits.

This really places a financial strain on the company Phuc said, adding that the top candidates are additionally looking for long term opportunities for advancement when we are looking just to fill short term needs.

It all adds up to a murky picture for companies operating in Vietnam, whose need for workers is evident now and likely to grow more acute.

Bui Thi Kim Quy, marketing and communications director at Manulife said managing employee matters is becoming more challenging and important as salaries, bonuses, incentives and benefit packages are the order of the day to attract and keep talented staff.

Le Kim Anh, VNHR vice president, warned that human resource managers will have their work cut out for them as they scramble to attract a flexible, well-educated and skilled work force.

It is even more important for employers to retain talented staff as the investment went into training them for the position that is lost when they leave.

It has all left Vietnam industry, services sector and government scrambling for solutions to seal the labour gap.

VOV