Half of Vietnamese youths think technology will create more jobs: survey

The “ASEAN Youth and the Future of Work” survey done by the WEF together with internet company Sea recently released said while 51.5 percent said technology would increase the number of jobs, 35.3 percent said it would decrease the number.

These figures vary significantly in the six countries surveyed, the survey said.

Singapore and Thailand are the most pessimistic with 53 percent in the former country and 43.6 percent in the latter saying technology would take away jobs.

But on average, 52 percent of Southeast Asian youths were optimistic.

Justin Wood, head of Asia Pacific, and member of the executive committee of the WEF, said: “Globally there is concern that technological change may bring rising inequality and joblessness. But in ASEAN, the sentiment seems to be much more positive.”

The survey also showed that Vietnamese youths are most confident about the impact of technology on their future income, with 72.8 percent saying technology would increase their income, the highest of the countries surveyed.

In terms of preference for work, the survey found that 26.5 percent of ASEAN youths are currently working for themselves.

Most countries surveyed have a rising interest in self-employment. In Vietnam, this figure is currently 19.3 percent, but 24.8 percent want to be self-employed in future.

Over 10 percent of ASEAN youths work for a multinational company and 17 percent would like to work for one in the future, the survey said.

Though 16.5 percent work for a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), only 7.4 percent want to continue their career at these companies.

“The findings suggest that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may struggle for talent in future,” Sea Group chief economist Santitarn Sathirathai said, adding it is important to continue to enhance adoption of digital technologies by SMEs to ensure young entrepreneurs have the resources they need to succeed.

The survey also found that Vietnamese youths spend the least time on the internet -- five hours and 10 minutes a day. In Thailand, this figure is more than seven hours.

The survey polled 64,000 respondents aged 35 or less from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines.