Three most in-demand IT skills, positions in next three years

According to a report from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the information and communication technology (ICT) industry generated $136.2 billion in revenue by the end of 2021, an increase of $11.4 billion from the same time in 2020. Of this, Vietnamese enterprises account for 13.8 percent of revenue (estimated at $18.78 billion).

Despite the major outbreak of Covid, the number of technological companies increased significantly in 2021, with more than 64,000 businesses, an increase of 5,600 new firms compared to 2020.

To offer candidates a shortcut to find the best information technology (IT) jobs and help businesses approach the general transformation of the industry in 2022, ITviec has conducted a survey for employers in 2022 from Jan. 4 to 21, with 221 responses sent from IT companies of various sizes.

Despite the unpredictability of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, over half of IT organizations increased the number of new employees and their salaries.

Instead of shrinking company activities, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 has contributed to an increase in new IT professionals recruited, according to 50 percent of the total 221 enterprises who participated in the survey.

According to the survey data, the most common increase in IT new hires is over 10 percent (which accounts for 68.7 percent), with 30.3 percent of organizations expanding and recruiting more than 30 percent of new employees. Starting salaries for developers in 2021 were more than 10 percent higher than in 2020.

Changes in IT recruitment strategy in 2021 as a result of Covid-19. Graphics by ITviec’s Employer Survey 2022

Furthermore, the number of jobs on the ITviec job site has increased significantly: 36 percent in the last year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2021, compared to Jan. 1 – Dec. 31, 2020, according to data from ITviec). It can be seen that, despite the government tightening the rules on remote and distant workspaces, the IT industry’s growth and level of competition shows no signs of slowing.

A booming year for Vietnam’s IT industry

When asked about their recruitment expectations and intentions for 2022, up to 83 percent of companies expressed a desire to increase the size of their IT team by at least 10 percent, with 43 percent planning to increase their number of employees by more than 30 percent.

Most employers’ salary increases for new IT hires are similar to previous years, ranging from 10 percent to 20 percent or more, regardless of Developer and IT Leaders/Manager positions.

Developers’ average salary rise in percent in 2022. Graphics by ITviec’s Employer Survey 2022

With these figures, it is clear that Vietnam’s IT industry remains a hot sector that attracts a lot of attention and offers candidates a competitive salary. This opens up many opportunities for job seekers but also challenges employers in the race to great IT talents.

Three IT skills and positions to set the trend by 2025

According to the survey data, candidates with proficient skills in JavaScript, Java, and Node.js will be the most searched for by employers in 2022 (accounting for 41percent of total responses). Furthermore, with a proportion of 46.8 percent, the positions of Backend Developer, Fullstack Developer, and Frontend Developer remain the most in demand.

Javascript, Java and Node.js are forecasted as the top 3 most in-demand skills for the next three years. Graphics by ITviec’s Employer Survey 2022

When compared to internal ITviec data from the last three years (from 2019 to 2021), the three skills and three positions listed above remain the most popular, though the proportions vary slightly each year. This indicates hot job opportunities, which are likely to rise in popularity from now until 2025, allowing IT professionals (and students pursuing careers in IT) to make trendier choices and job decisions.

Perhaps because the nature of working primarily with computers and networks does not affect the work efficiency of IT staff when working from home or hybrid, half of the total number of companies participating in ITviec’s survey agree to keeping or transition to this working model, even when returning to the new normal, when Covid is no longer a pressing issue.

IT Employer Respondents’ specific level of satisfaction with work from home/hybrid/remote policies. Graphics by ITviec’s Employer Survey 2022

It can be stated that work from home/hybrid/remote promises to be a new wave in the construction of recruitment strategies for IT companies in the coming time. This is also the top benefit in 2021 that 22.2 percent of employers offer for new employees, besides competitive salaries and bonuses when joining the company.

As in the survey results, in 2022, many IT firms will add a number of other appealing job incentives, as well as flexibility in working restrictions, which will help to enhance developer happiness. Flexible working hours (28.7 percent), extra days off for employees (15.4 percent), and free parking for staff (11.4 percent) are just a few of the policies that stand out.

Working conditions for IT developers are projected to change in 2022. Graphics by ITviec’s Employer Survey 2022

In general, the Vietnamese IT industry in 2022 will see many new breakthroughs, the factor of a happy working environment will still be the top priority in building a sustainable talent recruitment and retention plan. In order to enter early and fulfill the desired recruiting targets, employers must update relevant data and trends on a regular basis and build their own plans for implementing highly acceptable working regulations.