Vietnam Digital Readiness Report
PwC Vietnam’s survey on technology, jobs and skills
|
89% believe automation brings more opportunities than risks while 45% also expressed concerns about automation putting jobs at risk. |
90% believe that technology will change the ir current jobs in the medium term (6-10 years), while 83% believe they will feel the impact in the short term (3-5 years). |
84% would learn new skills now or completely retrain in order to improve future employability. |
55% say it is the responsibility of individuals to reskill. However, businesses and governments can play important roles in addressing the upskilling gap. |
|
A new world
Our world today is facing a skills crisis. Technology has developed at breakneck speed, resulting in a shortage of qualified talent for jobs created by the new digital economy. The rise of automation is putting jobs in various industries at risk. COVID-19 has further accelerated these trends which together have broadened the skills gap between today’s employees and the workforce of the future.
How ready are Vietnamese people to face this digital world?
Do Vietnamese people feel they are equipped with the relevant skills needed to help them work alongside technology? We sought to find out through a survey that was released to the Vietnamese public from 12 November 2020 to 27 December 2020. Our survey brought in a total of 1146 responses. The key findings as voiced by our respondents are reflected here.
Digital readiness is defined by the level of human capital development that is needed to build a workforce capable of utilising and creating technology on a continuous basis.
Explore the key findings
What do Vietnamese people think about technology?
Technology offers more opportunities than risks: Vietnamese people are more optimistic than their global counterparts.
- 85% of respondents said that it presents more opportunities than risks. This level of optimism is higher than the global average of 50%.
- 89% of respondents said that they had positive feelings about the role of technology in their jobs. Globally, a majority (61%) were positive about the impact of technology.
Vietnamese people believe that technology will benefit their future careers.
- 90% of our respondents overwhelmingly think that technological developments will improve their job prospects in the future. This level of optimism is higher than global level (60%).
Despite the optimism, there are concerns around job security.
- 45% of respondents are worried that automation will put jobs at risk.
How will technology change work?
Undoubtedly, technology is changing the job landscape in the next 6-10 years.
- 90% of respondents agreed that their jobs will change in the next 6-10 years while 83% believed that it will happen sooner i.e. 3-5 year.
Jobs themselves will be different from today.
- 45% believed that technology will make some slight improvements but no significant changes.
- 38% said the job will be very different (i.e. many parts of the job will be done automatically or the job might not exist in 10 years’ time).
Technology will improve productivity.
- 97% of respondents said that technology would improve their work efficiency.
What will Vietnamese people do in response to digital transformation?
There is strong demand for learning.
- 84% would learn new skills now or completely re-train in order to improve future employability, compared with the responses of global level (77%).
- 93% are currently learning new skills with the majority of these respondents saying that they are learning independently.
Proficiency in learning and adapting to new technologies is in high demand.
- 43% want to become more proficient at learning and adapting to new technologies.
- 34% would like to develop specialised expertise in specific technologies.
How should Vietnamese people be supported?
Businesses and governments can play important roles in addressing the upskilling gap.
- 55% said that it’s the responsibility of individuals for re-skilling.
- 33% said that it’s the responsibility of businesses.
Organisations are doing their part to meet the upskilling needs of their workers.
- 88% of our respondents said that they are provided opportunities to improve their digital skills.
- 73% said that they are well-equipped in using new technologies in workplace.
Remote work will be in higher demand.
- 82% believe that working from home will become more prevalent, even post COVID-19.
What's next?
The need to upskill is a complex problem that will require decision-makers - governments, educators, and business leaders - to come together.
- Government leaders and policymakers need to ensure that citizens have the knowledge to participate, and they themselves have the knowledge to drive discussion on the future of technology and regulation.
- Institutions, such as those that make up the education system, need to transform themselves digitally and, at the same time, provide services that are fit for the future.
