The upskilling of the workforce has long been a key task and now requires even more attention, a talk show on human resources trends and problems in Vietnam, held by PwC Vietnam on August 25, heard.

“The upskilling of workers is not only a need at businesses but also a need among individuals, as everyone wants to develop in their career,” Ms. Dinh Thi Quynh Van, General Director of PwC Vietnam, told the event. Large companies have been paying attention to training activities and have introduced training programs and strategies to give their workers’ sufficient skills and qualifications. However, despite such strategies and plans, requirements in worker skills are changing constantly, especially over recent years, Ms. Van added, with one reason being the emerging 4.0 transformation. “It can be seen that the need for training and upskilling is essential,” she said.

Since businesses are developing rapidly, many new technologies have emerged, requiring preparation from companies, according to Ms. Pham Thi Thu Thao, Head of Talent Management, Learning & Organization Development at the VNG Corporation. When technology evolves, training programs at universities or companies can’t stay abreast of the rapid changes. Therefore, workers need certain essential skills. Ms. Thao mentioned that an ability to learn, manage change, be agile, and solve problems are fundamental skills that not only workers but also businesses need. Since technology is changing constantly, “the best thing we can equip our staff with is a tool to learn new things,” she said.

Cyberkid, a company that protects and trains “digital citizens”, pays great attention to the demands of businesses, Ms. Nguyen Nhu Quynh, Managing Director, told the event. The company focuses on three main groups of skills as its believes these are necessary for businesses. Digital skills, or skills relating to data, machine learning, and so on, is the first group it focuses on. Problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, crisis handling skills, and so on comprise the second group. Since most Cyberkid workers are from Gen-Z, the company also encourages them to create a work-life balance.

In the audit sector, human resources are unsecure and there is a lack of high-quality personnel, Mr. Vu Duc Chinh, Director of the Accounting and Auditing Supervisory Department (AASD) at the Ministry of Finance, said. He emphasized that training plays an important role, not only in the workplace but also at universities. “Besides professional ethics, it is necessary to have highly-specialized knowledge and skills in applying technology,” he said about the process of implementing new accounting standards under Decision No. 345/QD-BTC on a scheme for the application of financial reporting standards in Vietnam in 2020.

At the event, PwC also shared its “Asia Pacific Hopes and Fears Survey” report, which pointed out four main takeaways that are relevant to Vietnam: businesses should fully understand the needs of workers; flexible working methods will become the new trend in the long term; not only the physical but also the mental health of workers need attention; and businesses need to invest in improving workers’ skills in the long term.