Current status of science and technology human resource development in Vietnam

In 2023, Vietnam had a strong explosion and rise in the field of science and technology, many scientists were honored in major awards and rankings. "Research.com, a prestigious electronic information portal for world scientists, announced the ranking of outstanding rising stars of science in the world. Of the 7 scientists working in Vietnam, 5 are domestic and 2 are abroad" ⁽¹⁾ .

“According to statistics from the Ministry of Science and Technology, there are currently 167,746 people participating in research and development activities nationwide. Of which, the number of people participating in research and development activities in the state sector is 141,084 people (accounting for 84.1%), the non-state sector: 23,183 people (13.8%), the foreign-invested sector: 3,479 people (2.1%). In particular, the number of people with doctoral degrees: 14,376 people, master's degrees: 51,128 people, university degrees: 60,719 people…” ⁽²⁾ . The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers in Vietnam is 72,991 people. On average, there are 7.6 FTE researchers per 10,000 people, ranking 4th, after Singapore (69.2 people), Malaysia (23.6 people) and Thailand (12.1 people). Vietnam's science and technology human resource development has achieved some outstanding achievements such as:

The number and scale of science and technology human resources are increasing rapidly. The number of researchers with post-graduate degrees accounts for a high proportion. In 2020, the number of university and college-educated human resources is about 1.5 million people, of which professors and associate professors are about 2,000, more than 14,000 PhDs, and more than 11,000 masters. The number of staff working in the field of science and technology is more than 34,000 people, more than 42,000 teaching staff in universities, colleges, vocational high schools and tens of thousands of science and technology staff working in other economic sectors and fields.

Vietnam has made progress in basic research, creating the premise for the formation of a number of new multidisciplinary science and technology fields, such as space, biomedicine, nano, nuclear; a number of natural science fields, such as mathematics, theoretical physics, have achieved high rankings in the ASEAN region. Social sciences and humanities have promptly provided arguments for planning policies and guidelines for national development, perfecting laws, creating the premise for economic thinking innovation.

  The quality of science and technology human resources has made progress in terms of education level, technical expertise and vocational skills . In the field of engineering and technology, science and technology human resources have researched and applied technical advances in the production of construction materials, handicrafts, and post-harvest preservation of agricultural products, contributing to product diversification, increasing productivity, and reducing product costs. In the field of medicine and pharmacy, science and technology human resources have researched and applied technology in diagnosing, detecting, preventing and treating diseases, assessing the current status of some diseases in the community that tend to increase along with changes in the environment and climate. In agriculture, science and technology human resources have researched high-yield and high-quality plant and animal varieties, and some advanced techniques have been transferred to localities.

Vietnam has made significant progress in developing science and technology human resources compared to other low-middle income countries. However, from the perspective of high-quality human resource breakthrough, Vietnam's science and technology human resources still have many weaknesses and shortcomings.

Firstly , the number of Vietnamese science and technology human resources accounts for a very small proportion compared to the demand (17.5% of social labor), while about 2.2% of the total number of qualified laborers are unemployed or have unstable jobs. The level of development in scale is slow, not meeting the development requirements of the science and technology industry in the digital transformation period.

Although the number of scientific and technological human resources with doctoral degrees is large, their qualifications still do not meet international standards, and they are not proficient in English or specialized foreign languages. More than 10,000 people have doctoral degrees, but only about 30% of staff can use foreign languages ​​fluently and can exchange expertise with international organizations. In the field of R&D and technological innovation, Vietnam has not met the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Although Vietnamese scientists have made efforts to develop application-oriented research, creating many new technologies and new products, they are still fragmented and small-scale. Human resources for technological R&D are thin, especially in new technological fields of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as digital and information technology, automation, physics and advanced materials science, and biotechnology. The process of applied research and technology development and technology transfer is weak.

The number of science and technology staff with doctoral and master's degrees has increased significantly, but there is still a shortage of successors, especially in priority science and technology fields and high-tech fields. It is forecasted that by 2025, there will be a shortage of more than 500,000 IT workers, accounting for more than 78% of the total IT workers needed by the market. The field of artificial intelligence (AI) - technology identified as the "heart" of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and an indispensable condition for turning Vietnam into a digital nation - is also lacking in quantity. The trend is changing in an unfavorable direction when the number of good scientists is decreasing due to retirement age while the successor team is seriously lacking.

Second, Low quality of science and technology human resources, especially the lack of leading experts, chief engineers, and strong scientific groups. Not only the shortage in quantity, the issue of high-tech human resources quality is also a big challenge in the process of economic development in Vietnam. The quality of science and technology staff is limited and inadequate, lacking good scientists, leading experts in high-tech fields. Science and technology human resources are unevenly distributed, some spend a lot of time on management work; the spirit of research cooperation and teamwork skills are weak, making it difficult to form strong research groups and interdisciplinary research groups that operate long-term and sustainably.

Vietnam lacks science and technology human resources in key and decisive fields such as biotechnology and new materials technology. The patenting rate of Vietnamese science and technology staff is low. According to statistics from CMC Technology Group, the demand for digital human resources is very high, but universities only meet about 25% of the demand, and the quality only meets 30% of the requirements. In 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung's human resource demand is still very high. This reality shows that the quality of Vietnam's digital human resources is still lacking and weak.

  Third, the structure of science and technology human resources is unbalanced by level, region and area. The structure of science and technology human resources is not reasonable. The ratio of indirect human resources to the total number of science and technology human resources is too high. Human resources in the field of science and technology are mostly concentrated in the state sector, lacking in enterprises. High-tech human resources are mainly in some industries such as information technology, automation equipment manufacturing industry. Science and technology human resources are often concentrated in large numbers in big cities, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, etc., while in difficult provinces, the ratio is low, especially in remote, border, island, ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Many localities lack both the quantity and quality of scientists. Over 90% of science and technology organizations have less than 30 employees, of which many organizations have less than 10 employees.

Fourth, the performance of science and technology human resources is not high, not really contributing effectively to improving labor productivity, growth quality and competitiveness of the economy. A significant portion of highly qualified science and technology personnel do not directly conduct research, due to the mechanism for appointing leaders and managers mainly based on high professional qualifications (academic titles and degrees). The science and technology staff is scattered, and a significant portion is not dedicated to scientific research. Vietnam is at risk of lacking good scientists and leading scientists.

The limitations in developing Vietnamese science and technology human resources are due to the following basic reasons:

Firstly, the awareness of the scientific researchers and managers is not high. Although the number of scientific and technological staff has increased, the quality has not met the requirements. There is a lack of a strong scientific collective, leading experts capable of leading new research directions and directing the implementation of national tasks at the international level. The operational efficiency of public scientific and technological organizations is not high. International cooperation has not gone into depth, lacked focus, and has not paid attention to the transfer, acquisition and mastery of advanced technology.

Second, there is no breakthrough mechanism or policy to make science and technology human resources a key resource for development. There is no encouragement, support, or facilitation for businesses to innovate, transfer, or improve technology. Research connection activities between scientists, the market, and businesses are generally weak and lack information. The role of intermediary organizations and technology transfer consultants is unclear, especially organizations with the function of promoting and valuing technology.

Public science and technology organizations, including those with strong potential, have few opportunities to recruit young, well-qualified, and dedicated human resources for training and succession because the salary and welfare policies of the State are still low compared to companies, corporations, especially international organizations and joint ventures.

Third, investment in science and technology is still limited. The ratio of science and technology expenditure to GDP is not commensurate with the country's economic growth rate. The proportion of expenditure on science and technology activities is not really reasonable, investment expenditure is low, and regular expenditure is high. The level of expenditure on some science and technology tasks that practically serve socio-economic development goals has not reached the threshold. Public investment in science and technology is not commensurate with the requirements.

Although investment in science and technology from the state budget has increased, an average of 16% per year, reaching 2% of total state budget expenditure, it is still a figure too low compared to the needs of science and technology activities. In developed countries, investment in science and technology development, especially research on applied science products, always reaches 3-5% of total budget expenditure. The difference in investment capital for science and technology is a big challenge for the development of science and technology human resources in Vietnam.

Fourth, we have not created conditions and encouraged scientists and enterprises to research and apply science and technology, nor have we created a science and technology market. Science and technology activities are not commensurate with the potential. Science and technology and innovation have not really become an important driving force to improve labor productivity, competitiveness, and promote socio-economic development. We have not supported and created conditions for enterprises to invest in innovation, technology transfer, and improvement; we have not created autonomy for scientific research organizations.

Fifth, there is a lack of good experts in the field, the technological level of enterprises is low, and there is a gap compared to the leading group in Southeast Asia. Except for some fields with a fairly fast technological innovation rate, such as information technology, telecommunications, oil and gas, aviation, finance and banking, many enterprises in the manufacturing sector are still using outdated technology compared to the world average. The capacity to absorb technology, innovate technology, and innovate of domestic enterprises is still limited. The applied research capacity of research institutes and universities is still modest.

The science and technology workforce lacks leading experts in many fields, especially in key areas. A strong innovation movement has not been created, and science and technology have not been closely linked to the market. International-scale research projects with breakthrough contributions to socio-economic development are still few. Science and technology have not really become the driving force and foundation for socio-economic development, for growth, economic restructuring and increasing social labor productivity. Many plans for the development of sectors, fields and localities are not based on in-depth scientific foundations, leading to scattered investment and lack of feasibility. Some research tasks have not closely followed the requirements of production and life.

Some solutions for developing human resources in science and technology in Vietnam

To create a breakthrough in developing science and technology human resources to meet the requirements in the context of digital transformation and meet the target of 10 science and technology human resources per 10,000 people by 2025, increasing to 12 science and technology human resources per 10,000 people by 2030, it is necessary to synchronously and comprehensively implement the following solutions:

Firstly, renew awareness and strengthen education and training, improve the quality of science and technology human resources. The 13th Party Congress documents emphasize that education and training need to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, so it is necessary to promote the development of human resources, especially high-quality human resources. The training structure needs to focus on the direction suitable for the application of the digital economic model. Develop a team of leading experts and scientists; focus on technical human resources, digital human resources, technology management human resources, management human resources, and business management. Focus on training a team of highly qualified scientists in priority science and technology fields. In addition, it is necessary to strongly innovate thinking, management methods, and accept risks to promote the application of new technologies and new business models based on science and technology.

Complete the plan to train young science and technology staff to create a workforce with capacity and quality to meet the increasing demands of the digital transformation process. Improve the quality of undergraduate and postgraduate training at universities and research institutes to promptly meet the demand for a workforce with high levels of science and technology. Innovate training programs for science and technology human resources in colleges and universities to meet the requirements of the labor market. Create a connection channel between training institutions and businesses to unify the needs of human resources for scientific research, technology development and innovation of businesses because the business sector is the unit that directly recruits, attracts science and technology human resources and develops expertise and capacity for students. Encourage students to pursue careers and fields closely related to science and technology through financial support, training funding, scholarships, and job search.

Investing in scientific research at universities plays a key role in developing science and technology and innovation, helping to create high-quality human resources, ready to work for the digital transformation process taking place worldwide. Training and fostering human resources in science and technology is an important solution that has a decisive meaning in developing the Vietnamese science and technology human resources. This is the most effective and long-term solution that most countries in the world are prioritizing.

Second, perfecting mechanisms and policies, creating a favorable environment to develop high-quality science and technology human resources. Investing in building a team of high-quality science and technology human resources, a team of leading scientists, gradually improving the standards of leading scientists to approach the standards in developed countries. Continuing the program of selecting and sending high-quality science and technology human resources in priority and key fields to countries with advanced science and technology. Encouraging and supporting domestic universities to cooperate with foreign universities to train science and technology human resources in Vietnam. Having preferential personal income tax policies for science and technology human resources participating in implementing national science and technology tasks.

Determining the strategy for creating a source of science and technology staff must be closely linked to the requirements of promoting innovation activities, the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation and international integration. Focus on interdisciplinary industries and fields, biotechnology, digital technology, automation and global skills training. The plan for developing science and technology human resources must be closely linked to the socio-economic development plan. Build a stable relationship and link between businesses and scientists to improve the applicability of science and technology products.

Third, perfect the work of planning, training and fostering the development of human resources in science and technology. This is the decisive solution, governing the solutions for developing human resources in science and technology, because the work of planning and strategy has a direct impact, creating "internal strength" for the development of human resources in science and technology. Implementing well the work of planning for development not only ensures that human resources in science and technology have comprehensive development in terms of quantity, quality, and structure, but also creates a solid legal corridor for human resources in science and technology to work with peace of mind and contribute.

The planning of the scientific and technological staff must be closely linked to training, professional development, leading experts, and specialization in various fields. The planning of scientific and technological human resources must cover the structure of scientific and technological human resources according to scientific and technological majors with assigned positions and specific structures: age, education level, industry groups, technical professional titles, gender structure, etc. Priority should be given to training highly qualified scientific and technological experts and officials.

Fourth, increase the attraction of science and technology human resources and innovation, leading experts from abroad. Along with attracting and making use of domestic talents, it is necessary to build mechanisms and policies to attract science and technology human resources and innovation, leading international experts, and the Vietnamese community abroad. Create favorable conditions in terms of mechanisms and facilities to attract scientists around the world and scientific research organizations to cooperate in scientific research, talent training, and technology transfer. Attracting highly qualified scientists through preferential treatment has become a solution used by many countries around the world to improve the capacity of the national science and technology team. However, in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation, attracting good science and technology intellectuals is not a simple matter.

Creating a good working environment and conditions to retain talent with a focus on equipping facilities, research rooms, practice rooms, modern libraries, etc., is an important contribution to training young, highly intelligent human resources to meet the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Having a policy to send Vietnamese people to work at multinational corporations and start-ups abroad, then return to work in the country. Creating favorable conditions for lecturers and researchers to regularly participate in science and technology activities and innovation in enterprises.

There is a satisfactory remuneration policy for science and technology officials who have made great contributions and important contributions to the cause of industrialization and modernization. The salary mechanism needs to be linked to the results and effectiveness of work and assigned tasks for science and technology officials. This is an important factor not only to attract and retain talents and leading science and technology experts but also to help preserve the qualities and professional ethics of the science and technology staff. Establishing a scholarship fund for young scientists helps science and technology human resources have the opportunity to research and apply research results effectively.

Fifth, promote technology transfer and strengthen international cooperation in developing science and technology human resources. Vietnam is currently a member of nearly 100 international organizations on science and technology, and has scientific and technological cooperation relations with more than 90 countries, territories and international organizations. For international cooperation in developing human resources for science and technology to be effective, it is necessary to diversify and multilateralize partners and forms of cooperation, select strategic partners, and link international cooperation on science and technology with international economic cooperation. In addition to traditional cooperative relations with Russia, Eastern European countries, etc., Vietnam continues to expand, establish and develop new cooperative relations with countries in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2023, Vietnam will record cooperation with many leading scientists and entrepreneurs in the global AI field, such as Professor Andrew Ng of Landing AI, CEO Jensen Huang of Nvidia, etc.

Along with that, issue policies to attract Vietnamese experts abroad and highly qualified foreign experts to Vietnam to participate in research, teaching, consulting, and taking on positions of scientific and technological research management. Maximize the autonomy and self-responsibility of scientific and technological organizations in international cooperation.

Developing human resources in science and technology is an urgent and important task. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the development of the digital economy and digital transformation, the development of human resources in science and technology requires scientific and practical solutions that need to be implemented synchronously and systematically. The solutions must be comprehensive from sourcing, planning, training, using and promoting human resources in science and technology./.

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(1) Highlights of Vietnam's science and technology in 2023, Nhan Dan Electronic Newspaper, December 31, 2023, https://nhandan.vn/diem-nhan-noi-bat-cua-khoa-hoc-cong-nghe-viet-nam-2023-post790074.html
(2) Quynh Nga, Human resources in science and technology: Innovation in quantity and quality, Electronic Industry and Trade Newspaper, March 21, 2018, https://congthuong.vn/nhan-luc-khoa-hoc-va-cong-nghe-doi-moi-luong-va-chat-100918.html&link=1

Source: https://tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/van_hoa_xa_hoi/-/2018/1069802/phat-trien-nhan-luc-khoa-hoc%2C-cong-nghe-viet-nam-trong-boi-canh-chuyen-doi-so.aspx