Work-life balance deciding factor for Vietnamese job seekers

Following a difficult six months when millions were forced to work from home and many industries and businesses ground to a halt, Vietnamese workers are reassessing their professional priorities and what matters most to them.

Work-life balance has emerged as the most important factor for candidates to accept a job offer, according to survey results released this week by HCMC-based human research platform Grove HR and British online market research and data analytics firm YouGov.

The survey, which covered 1,010 Vietnamese job seekers mostly in the 25-34 age group last October, found 73.4 percent of respondents choosing “work-life balance” as the priority in accepting a job offer.

Factors following closely behind were benefits (72.9 percent) and job security (69.3 percent).

Priorities for Vietnamese job seekers. Graphics by YouGov

While these were also the three top factors in a similar survey last year, their order changed. Last year, job security was the number one priority, followed by benefits and work-life balance.

To achieve the desired work-life balance, candidates anticipate higher efficiency and productivity and lower levels of absence, sickness, and stress, the survey found.

Compensation for extra work and flexible work time were also key to achieving work-life balance.

The survey found adequate compensation an incentive that boosts employees’ morale and effectiveness. Flexible work times, wherein employees can choose when and how to work, best suits respondents’ lifestyle, it found.

The survey also discovered that most Vietnamese employees (or 70 percent) don’t mind working overtime if there was compensation for the extra work. Flexible work time came second in the ranking (60 percent) as a way to save money and energy. Manager support of work-life balance (59 percent) was also considered a key aspect to choosing a job.