The Hi-tech Park and industrial zones in Da Nang are facing a dire shortage of workers, especially highly-skilled ones, in order to expand their business next year.

Picture taken at the Hiffil JSC located at the Da Nang-based Hoa Khanh Industrial Park

Data published by Da Nang branch of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) show that 86% of Da Nang businesses have faced a vast array of challenges in recruiting managers, and 75% have encountered lots of difficulties in recruiting new employees for management and supervision positions.

Meanwhile, 32% of Da Nang businesses have faced the same problem in employing  manual workers. The training and recruitment costs of new employees tend to rise over recent years.

The latest figures from the Authority of Da Nang's Hi-Ttech Park and industrial parks (IPs) show that more than 72,000 people are working in the Hi-tech Park and IPs across Da Nang, over 50,000 of them are workers with general education. The rate of workers with university education only reaches 9.5% of the total.

Most employers are struggling to find and hire qualified employees. But the solution in their hands is to provide the training needed to get the workers they want.

Da Nang now has 6 dedicated IPs covering a total area of over 1,055ha.  They are the Hoa Khanh, expanded Hoa Khanh, Da Nang, Lien Chieu, Hoa Cam and Da Nang Seafood Services IPs.

It is expected that 3 new IP projects will be developed during the 2019-2023 period. These projects are the 2^nd stage of the Hoa Cam IP on an area of 120ha  in Cam Le and Hoa Vang districts with an investment capital of over 2,232 billion VND (over 95 million USD); the 360ha Hoa Nhon IP in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Nhon Commune at an estimated cost of 5,657 billion VND (more than 241 million USD); and the 400ha Hoa Ninh IP in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Ninh Commune with total investment of 6,083 billion VND (approximately 300 million USD).

Da Nang has prioritised attracting nano-technology and biotech projects in a bid to address many other areas of environmental concern, hereby promoting the city's green and sustainable growth.

Therefore, Da Nang will be in need of highly-qualified workforce equipped with the in-demand soft skills such as informatics and foreign languages.

Mr Pham Truong Son, the Head of the Authority of Da Nang’s Hi-Ttech Park and IPs, underlined a must-do for universities and junior colleges to understand more about the recruitment requirements of businesses so as to adjust their training programmes properly. Also, they should partner with Da Nang businesses to organise international-standard training programmes for students in a bid to help their undergraduates acquire professional skills and real experience through their professional training programmes to meet the requirements of recruiters after their graduation.

Great efforts should be made to boost closer links between vocational schools and job placement centers in order to find a stable source of skilled workers to meet the increasing needs of recruiters.

In addition, enterprises should develop their own competitive recruitment strategies in a bid to attract and retain good employees by raising salaries and ensuring better support policies for them.

By KHANH HOA - Translated by M.D