- \n
- More than 80% of youth surveyed believed
\nthat they have the requisite skills needed to enter the working world but almost
\n90% of them are “anxious” about their ability to secure a job upon completing
\ntheir education<\/b><\/li>\n- Similar to their peers in the region, most
\nfelt that Covid-19 is affecting the job-seeking process but remain optimistic<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n <\/p>\nHO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM –\u00a0Media
\nOutReach<\/a>\u00a0– 15 July 2021 –\u00a0To mark the United Nations’ World Youth Skills Day this year, Deutsche
\nPost DHL Group (DPDHL Group), the world’s leading logistics provider has published
\nkey findings from an inaugural study on youth employability in Asia. The three-week
\nonline study saw close to 950 responses from young people above 15 years of age
\nin the region, including nearly 480 from Vietnam. Young people from across six
\nother countries \u2013 Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand
\nmade up the rest of the respondents. This Vietnam study was done as part of DPDHL
\nGroup’s GoTeach program with the support of its partner SOS Children’s
\nVillages. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/release.media-outreach.com\/release.php\/Images\/Thumb\/520x0\/163151\/DHL-APAC.jpg#image-163151\")
<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nChristoph Selig, Vice President, sustainability
\ncommunications and programs, DPDHL Group said, “Job uncertainties and
\ninsecurities abound as most economies in the region continue to battle
\ndifferent waves of Covid-19 even as the pandemic starts to recede with the
\navailability of vaccines. Whilst this inevitably impacts the hiring roadmap for
\nbusinesses across multiple industries, it is heartening to see our youth
\nrecognizing the challenges ahead, but yet remain optimistic about their own
\naptitude and abilities to secure a job upon completing their education.” <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nThe study found that almost 90% of Vietnamese youth
\nwho responded are either “anxious” or “very anxious” about their ability to
\nfind a job, with nearly 98% acknowledging that the Covid-19 pandemic is
\naffecting the process of job hunting. Despite this, there is a sense of
\nconfidence as well as optimism among these youth in Asia: 88% of them believe they
\nare ready to enter the job market, with 70% indicating that they expect to land
\na job in less than six months upon completing their education. <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nWhen evaluating an offer, the “opportunity to learn
\nand be challenged” at a job came up top in factors to consider followed closely
\nby “job security”, where nearly 20% of respondents in the region indicated
\nas crucial. In Vietnam, most respondents agree with their counterparts in the
\nregion on wanting to learn and be challenged but they cited “salary” as the
\nsecond most-considered factor. Unsurprisingly, circa 38% of the young surveyed (in
\nVietnam and across the region) regarded traditional methods such as internships
\nto be useful in helping them land a job although recommendations from mentors
\nand teachers are equally considered to be key enablers. Online job portals whilst
\nprevalent are viewed as the least useful channel simply due to the lack of the
\npersonal connection afforded by working as an intern or a validation by a
\ncontact.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nIndustry
\npreferences<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\nIn Vietnam, over 250 youth felt that working as a
\nhealthcare professional such as a nurse or doctor is the most recession-proof
\noccupation undoubtedly swayed by the critical roles that these front-liners
\nhave played since the global Covid-19 outbreak, whereas a job in the education
\nor government sectors are in second and third place respectively. Interestingly,
\nwhen asked what their preference as a first job will be, more than 50% of young
\npeople in Vietnam picked entrepreneurship \u2013 reflecting the same preferences as
\ntheir peers in the region where over 20% of them selected this option. Overall,
\njobs related to entrepreneurship, education, and hospitality\/ tourism sectors
\nranked among the top three preferred by young people in the region. <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n“Young people just entering the workforce have
\nwitnessed an unprecedented crisis that would have influenced their view of the
\nworking world,” commented Susanne Novotny, Corporate Partnership Manager at SOS
\nChildren’s Villages. “It’s therefore not surprising that most felt that the
\nhealthcare industry is somewhat recession-proof but equally, most young people
\nmight have preferred to start their own business to have better control over
\ntheir own lives, careers and destiny. All in all, it’s encouraging to see the
\nenterprising spirit of young people, strongly supported by GoTeach
\nentrepreneurship training on how to start and run their own business.”<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\nEssential skills
\nfor the working world<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\nBeyond technical and vocational skills, almost 60%
\nof respondents in Vietnam viewed interpersonal communications skills as key whilst
\n27% thought language skills to be pertinent in their ability to secure a job.
\nTheir peers in the region also cited these as the most important skills that
\nwill support them in their job-seeking journey. <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nDesignated
\nby the General Assembly<\/a>\u00a0in 2014, the World Youth
\nSkills Day is an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational
\neducation and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector
\nstakeholders to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people
\nwith skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. This year’s theme
\nis “Skills for a resilient youth”.<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nAn Environment, Social and Governance (ESG)
\ninitiative dating back to 2009, GoTeach seeks to improve the employability of
\nyoung people, especially those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds
\ncaused by social unrest, poverty and\/or loss of family. In Vietnam, DPDHL Group
\nrecently marked its tenth-year anniversary for GoTeach in the country, and have
\npledged to continue partnering with SOS Children’s
\nVillages<\/a>, the largest non-governmental organization focused
\non supporting children without parental care and families at risk. <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nTo date, volunteers from across DPDHL Group in over
\n60 countries have contributed their time and effort into working with young
\npeople under this program. In Asia Pacific, more than 600 DHL volunteers ran
\nseveral initiatives in 2020, including mentoring, job skills training, resume
\nwriting, internships and youth camps, to benefit young people across the
\nregion. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\nNote to editors: <\/b><\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\nPlease refer to the attached infographic for the complete findings of
\nthe study conducted among 950 young people across Asia. For more stories about
\nDHL’s sustainability approach and programs, including GoTeach, please visit Logistics of Things.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n - Similar to their peers in the region, most