Just one-third of workers okay with benefits: survey

The report by recruitment firm Navigos is based on a survey that polled nearly 6,000 participants in its database, most of them in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

It found 45 percent felt "normal" (ambivalent) when asked if they were satisfied with their benefits, while 25 percent said they were dissatisfied.

People higher up have higher satisfaction levels than those in lower positions. Directors and associate directors had a satisfaction rate of nearly 50 percent, compared to 35 percent among heads of departments and 26 percent among employees with more than two years of experience.

When people consider switching to a new job, salary, bonus and welfare are the most important factors, 74 percent of the respondents said.

Other criteria including promotion and training opportunities were important to 37 percent and 34 percent of the respondents, respectively.

With salary, bonus and welfare the main factors influencing the departure of employees, this becomes a challenge for recruitment and retention plans of businesses, the report said.

Respondents reported that the 13th-month salary is the biggest bonus or benefit that they receive in a year, followed by health and medical care, and travel, meal, and cellphone allowances.

Sixty-one percent said they expected a pay raise this year.

Middle managers appeared to be the most active in asking for a raise, with 65 percent of respondents in this group saying they had asked for a raise last year.