Staff of F-Ville software village work at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park in Ha Noi. Viet Nam could see a shortage of 500,000 information technology (IT) professionals by 2020. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Tuan

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Viet Nam could see a shortage of 500,000 information technology (IT) professionals by 2020, said a recent report on IT recruitments in Viet Nam by online recruitment company VietnamWorks.

Over the past three years, the demand for the number of IT jobs has increased 47 per cent each year on average. However, the annual growth rate of the labour supply has been eight per cent.

If the situation continues, Viet Nam will face a serious lack of IT talent in the coming years, according to VietnamWorks.

The shortage of 500,000 skilled staff by 2020 would represent more than 78 per cent of all IT professionals required by the market, the report said.

Compared to 2012, the number of IT companies has increased 69 per cent. The number of software companies has risen by 124 per cent over the last four years.

Rapid growth in the industry has been seen in the outsourcing sector.

According to advisory firm Tholons, HCM City and Ha Noi are among the top 20 best destinations for outsourcing services in IT.

TechLooper's data provides insights into the specific IT skills currently in demand. .NET, C/C++, Java, PHP and Web developers are positions with the highest growth in the market last year.

Web and Java are reported to be the two most demanded skills for IT positions in Viet Nam.

Based on market observations and report numbers, Paul Espinas, VietnamWorks' director of marketing, proposed four points that one can tap in order to successfully grow the IT market in Viet Nam.

First, the country needs to improve language skills for IT professionals. Outsourcing services require good communication in foreign languages such as English or Japanese.

As Viet Nam becomes more and more integrated with the international market through ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), there is a huge demand for professionals, not just in the IT sector, but also in other industries with foreign language skills.

Secondly, IT professionals in Viet Nam need to improve their soft skills.

In IT, high-level positions, like project manager, requires far more skills than just coding and quality testing. Communication, leadership and time management are the skills IT people need to learn to become high-calibre professionals.

Thirdly, technology update should be integrated into academic curricula nationwide.

Lastly, the country needs a proper training plan for IT professionals.

According to a VietnamWorks' survey, while 75 per cent of IT professionals prefer employers who offer training opportunities, only 14 per cent of IT employers provide such training.

The survey was participated in by nearly 500 IT professionals in September. — VNS