A BIDV transaction office. The bank recruited nearly 700 employees in the first nine months of 2014. — Photo vtc.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) ─ The Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam (BIDV) and Sai Gon–Ha Noi Bank (SHB) have hired more employees in the first nine months of 2014.

Based on their latest financial reports, as of September 30, the number of BIDV employees increased by 697 to 18,938 while the number of SHB employees increased by 481 to 5,483.

BIDV and its affiliates reduced their staff by 157 last year and recruited new staff within the context of a 13-per cent year-on-year increase in the bank's after-tax profits in the first nine months of the year to VND3.50 trillion (US$166.67 million).

In the first nine months of the year, SHB likewise achieved a net profit of VND592 billion ($28.19 million), a 9.6-per cent year-on-year increase.

Several banks also reported staffing increases earlier this month. According to Infonet online, Eximbank recruited 153 new staff while Vietcombank recruited 173, Sacombank added 637 and ABBank hired 384. ACB and PVcomBank each recruited 400 new employees.

In response to a recent State Bank of Viet Nam survey on business trends among credit institutions in the fourth quarter of 2014, most reported positive results and expectations of further improvement.

Nearly 48 per cent announced plans to add more employees in the fourth quarter, and about 60 per cent revealed that at the end of the year, their staff would become larger than at the end of last year. — VNS