In Ho Chi Minh City, students on summer break are eagerly on the hunt for fulfilling work experiences.

Tran Dai Hung, a sophomore at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, has spent the past two years working part-time as a communications assistant for a large English school system.

He earns about VND3.5 million (US$150) a month.

His last two jobs included working at a pub for VND16,000 ($0.68) per hour and a coffee shop for VND20,000 ($0.86) an hour.

Hot job market

While Hung enjoyed his last few jobs, he hopes to use this summer to find work that will prepare him for his future career.

The problem with his previous gigs, he said, was that they mostly revolved around completing repetitive tasks.   

Similarly, Mai Gia Han, a student at Ho Chi Minh City Industry And Trade College, said that it is relatively easy for local students to find summer jobs. 

Han uses the VND3-4 million ($128-171) she earns each month to cover her daily expenses.

But while students like Hung and Han have found it easy to find employment, others have not had such luck.

Ngoc Mai, a student at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, explained that with an IELTS score of 6.5, an acceptable band by local standards, she had a difficult time looking for a job for summertime.

She spent weeks being interviewed at coffee shops, bars, and food chains, before she finally found a bar on Hoang Sa Street in District 3 that would hire her.

A need for manpower

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many enterprises to scale down or close their business, according to Nguyen Xuan Son, operations manager of Enterprise Account Outsourcing and Staffing Services at ManpowerGroup Vietnam.

But many of these businesses are beginning to bounce back.

Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) increased 6.42 percent during the first six months of 2022, with manufacturing-processing and services in dire need of staff.

The need for both permanent and seasonal employment is much higher than in previous years, particularly in manufacturing, electronic trading, transport, warehouse services, fast-moving consumer goods, and food services, Son said.

Le Thi Doan Trinh, HR director at Scommerce JSC, said recruiting seasonal workers is currently difficult due to high competition and rising pay in the delivery sector, where people flock to secure work, as well as in the entire seasonal job market in general.

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