Fresh Vietnamese grads dissatisfied with life in the workplace: survey

• Vietnamese workers paid less than Southeast Asian peers
• Foreign firms call for Vietnam to increase overtime limit

When it comes to being happy and satisfied at work, fresh graduates in Vietnam are reported to have the lowest level of happiness in the region, according to a survey conducted by employment websites JobStreet and JobsDB.

The survey covered 50,000 graduates across seven countries and territory, and revealed that the average satisfaction rating of Vietnamese graduates is 4.9 on a 10-point scale.

Filipinos are the happiest workers (6.5), followed by Indonesia (6), Thailand (5.9), Malaysia (5.5), Singapore (5.2) and Hong Kong (5.1)

Another survey in the second quarter of 2016 of nearly 1,200 fresh graduates in Vietnam also said that 75 percent of the respondents viewed salary as the most important factor when it came to finding a job. Meanwhile, job description -- the crucial factor that can determine whether the job is suitable for the candidate -- was their fourth priority.

These factors have affected the satisfaction levels of the Vietnamese labor force, Job Street said.

The employment website added that average salaries in Vietnam have risen in 2016, but many fresh graduates are still unrealistic about their starting salaries.

“Maybe new graduates are being paid less than what they were expecting," said marketing manager of JobStreet Duong Thi Ngoc Hai, "but I think they should devote their time to learning from new experiences and improving both hard and soft skills rather than aiming for a high-paid position.” 

JobStreet quoted many employers as saying that graduate students ought to put themselves in the shoes of employers, who need time to adjust salaries in line with their employees' capabilities and performance.

Tran Duc Huy, a businessman who runs an interior design company, said that fresh graduates, apart from asking for higher salaries, are different from the previous generation.

“They are more intelligent, more innovative, but also more demanding, less hard-working and less loyal.”

Related news:

> Vietnamese workers paid less than Southeast Asian peers

> Foreign firms call for Vietnam to increase overtime limit