Recruitment demands in Vietnam fell by 20% in the second quarter of 2020 when compared to the first quarter, according to research from Adecco Vietnam.

Adecco Vietnam’s research on the labour market cited a survey among 330 HR experts in May of 2020 in which 93% of the respondents said their companies were affected by Covid-19.

Up to 43% of the companies saw their revenues reduce by 21-40% and as a result, 58% of firms chose to postpone all recruitment activities. Companies also had to suspend payment rise and promotion, or cut working hours.

However, Adecco Vietnam noted there were increases of between 10%-15% in demand for technical experts and sales persons in companies operating in technology, health care and consumer goods.

Nguyen Thu Ha, head of Adecco Vietnam’s Hanoi office, said recruitment demand will improve in Q3 when some countries begin to re-open their borders and companies rush to implement their business plans which have been delayed.

According to Reuters, Vietnam’s second quarter GDP growth hit a record low in the second quarter. GDP for the second quarter ended June  grew 0.36% from a year earlier, compared with an expansion of 6.73% in the same period last year. The record low growth was due to the effects of the pandemic.