Companies worried about hiring foreign experts under new academic strictures

South Korean electronics giant Samsung, one of the largest foreign direct investors in Vietnam, is worried that the new decree will pose challenges for its recruitment process.

"In reality, there are many people whose academic majors are not related to their field of work, but who have become outstanding experts after a long time of learning and gaining experience," Samsung Vietnam said in an emailed statement to VnExpress International.

The company was referring to a labor decree which took effect in February that allows foreigners to get a work permit only if they have at least a bachelor's degree and three years of experience in their field or a practicing certificate with five years of experience in their own country.

Samsung Vietnam said that in the long run, the decree will rob experts with outstanding skills the opportunity to develop their own potentials.

The company said it has always prioritized the recruitment and training of its employees and guaranteed that foreign experts sent from the parent company in South Korea or recruited into Samsung Vietnam are all high-quality professionals with expertise in their fields.

Several foreign manufacturing companies in Vietnam have reported no immediate issue relating to the new decree, but are concerned that recruiting will become more difficult in the future.

The head of human resources at a South Korean manufacturer of air compressors in Hanoi, who asked not be named, said the decree will limit the company's chances of finding suitable candidates if those with less than five years of experience in the field and without a related bachelor's degree cannot be hired.

Several chambers of commerce in Vietnam have already voiced concerns about the decree.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vietnam said last month that it is not uncommon these days for a person to have a career unrelated to their education, and the new regulation creates unnecessary difficulties by recognizing only overseas and not Vietnamese experience.

The American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam (AmCham) said it was nearly impossible to have someone with the right education background for a certain job since career paths can shift.

AmCham members have expressed concerns that the regulation, could disrupt hiring and called for equal recognition for work experience in Vietnam and abroad.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, there were around 68,500 foreign workers in Vietnam in 2020.