Vietnamese companies are rapidly expanding their artificial intelligence (AI) operations but are struggling to find engineers to deploy in the field. Despite offering high salaries and enlisting headhunting firms, it remains difficult to find talent with both AI project experience and industry knowledge, as well as foreign language skills. Job seekers are expressing concerns that the compensation does not match the skills required, highlighting a growing imbalance in the AI hiring market.
According to VnExpress on October 5, a mid-sized tech company in Hanoi has been trying to hire engineers as demand for AI projects from the U.S. and Japan has increased, but it has been unable to fill positions for several months. The company is offering salaries ranging from 45 million to 50 million dong (approximately $1,900 to $2,100) per month, providing full pay during the probation period and even offering paid AI service accounts.
However, finding the desired candidates has proven challenging. The company requires applicants to have at least three years of experience and practical project experience applying AI, along with sufficient English proficiency to work directly with overseas clients. The company's HR manager stated, "We have been searching for candidates for several months before the project starts, but we still have not filled all positions. Among the applicants who meet the experience criteria, many lack actual project experience applying AI, so hiring is still ongoing."
Large corporations are facing similar challenges. Bosch, which has over 4,000 engineers involved in global projects related to software, automotive R&D, semiconductors, smart manufacturing, and AI in Vietnam, is also making significant efforts to secure AI talent.
Tran Le Ngoc Doan, HR director at Bosch Global Software Technology Vietnam, explained that they need talent with not only machine learning and data science skills but also a solid understanding of technology and business. Candidates must be able to solve real-world business problems with technology, not just conduct research on AI itself.
At Bosch's Dong Nai factory, AI is utilized for quality control and resource optimization. Consequently, the hiring criteria have expanded beyond pure AI roles to include individuals who understand production and business processes and can apply AI in the field. Doan noted, "We have already hired hundreds of AI engineers, but we still face a shortage of talent and are also conducting internal training."
AI Engineer Salaries Surge as Companies and Job Seekers Have Diverging Expectations
The demand for AI talent is driving salaries upward. Vo Thi Bich Tuyet, operations director at Manpower Vietnam, stated that AI engineers are among the most sought-after positions in the current labor market. Hiring demand has expanded to include generative AI, large language models (LLM), and security fields, affecting not only tech companies but also finance, banking, manufacturing, semiconductors, and e-commerce.
According to data from ITviec, TopCV, and TopDev, AI engineers with 2 to 4 years of experience earn between 30 million and 60 million dong per month, which is about 1.5 times higher than the salaries of general tech engineers, who earn between 20 million and 35 million dong. Senior AI engineers can earn salaries exceeding 70 million to 120 million dong per month.
As experience increases, salaries continue to rise. The 'Vietnam IT Salary Guide 2026' from recruitment firm JT1 indicates that AI and machine learning engineers with 7 to 10 years of experience in Ho Chi Minh City can earn up to $4,500 per month. Salaries for top AI positions can be significantly higher. Manpower Vietnam reports that senior AI executives at large companies can earn between $15,000 and $25,000 per month, excluding bonuses, insurance, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOP).
Particularly, senior AI and machine learning researchers who can develop new algorithms and models and apply them to real business scenarios are considered the hardest positions to fill.
However, high salaries are not directly translating into successful hires. Some job seekers question whether a salary of 45 million to 50 million dong is adequate compensation for candidates with over three years of experience, practical project experience, business understanding, and English communication skills. There is a significant gap between the skills companies seek and the compensation job seekers expect.
As AI rapidly expands into finance, manufacturing, semiconductors, and e-commerce, the skills required by companies are becoming increasingly difficult to meet with just technical knowledge. With a limited pool of candidates possessing actual project experience and industry understanding, addressing the gap between the desired skill level and the market rate for talent is a key challenge for securing AI professionals.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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