Vietnam’s IT and software sector continued to show strong momentum in both hiring and salaries, TopCV’s 2025–2026 labor market report says.

Technology products developed by Vietnamese engineers showcased at Vietnam International Digital Week 2025.

The report, based on a survey of more than 3,000 employers and workers across industries in the third quarter of 2025, shows IT and software ranked second in hiring demand at 8.64% behind only business and sales roles (47.5%) and ahead of marketing, communications, and advertising roles (8.22%).

Information technology, telecommunications and internet roles led all sectors in median income.

At the management level, department heads and deputy heads earned VND53.6 million a month before tax, compared with VND39–40 million for similar positions in business, marketing, manufacturing, and design.

Compared with previous years, salary growth in IT was most pronounced at the management level while pay for specialist roles remained relatively static.

The sector’s pay advantage attracted workers from other fields though most IT professionals came from formal education pathways, with 77.4% holding university degrees and 13.4% graduating from colleges.

But 11.3% switched from other industries while 9.68% entered the field after short-term training programs lasting less than a year.

According to analysts, this shift reflects perceptions of IT and software as offering strong long-term opportunities driven by technological advances and global trends besides the higher pay.

Within the IT sector, demand varied sharply by specialization. Roles related to artificial intelligence and data commanded higher salaries but were also the most difficult to fill.

AI has emerged as a strategic priority for companies over the past year, as reflected in hiring plans, the report said.

Senior software engineers were the most in demand, sought by 37.97% of employers. They were followed by data engineers (31.8%), data scientists (30.75%) and specialists in mechatronics, robotics and automation (15.9%).

AI engineers were the most difficult to find for the IT sector. Employers cited a shortage of highly skilled candidates and a limited talent pool and intense competition from major technology firms as key challenges.

Besides, 33.6% of employers said IT candidates lacked essential soft skills, including communication, presentation, critical thinking, and product-oriented thinking.

"IT and software companies are looking for professionals who are not only technically strong but also capable of teamwork and broader skill sets," the report noted.

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