The Investor is carrying an interview with Simon Matthews, regional manager of workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup Vietnam (MPGV), Thailand, and the Middle East. He says:
- Vietnam needs to improve its English language proficiency;
- That 30 percent (120) of the 400 roles MPGV filed in the first six months of this year were in the green sector; and
- There is a shortage of high-level personnel in the renewable energy sector–the answer to this, Matthews says, is at least partially in using high-quality, international talent.
Some context: On that last point, visa reforms during the COVID-19 made it much more difficult for foreign workers to obtain work permits. This was ostensibly so that jobs could go to local workers. The reality was that the kind of jobs foreign workers were being recruited for were the kind of jobs for which local workers lacked the necessary skills and experience–for example, English teaching. As a result, not only was there a lack of skills but there was also a lack of skilled foreign workers to train local staff. These requirements, however, seem to have now somewhat eased.