The survey by independent market research firm Indochina Research said 64 percent of Vietnamese urbanites were not scared about losing their jobs in this manner in the next 10 years.

Only 31 percent were worried about technology eliminating their jobs.

The remaining 5 percent were indifferent saying they were not working anyway.

The survey polled 600 respondents aged between 18 and 59 last November.

It was part of a global survey done in 40 countries by the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research and polling agencies.

The Vietnamese confidence rate was higher than in some developed countries like Japan and South Korea or in Southeast Asia.

They were 63 percent in Thailand, 47 percent in Indonesia, 28 percent in Malaysia, and 27 percent in the Philippines.

Overall too, confidence in Vietnam was above the global average with 52 percent saying they were not afraid of their jobs being stolen.

Asked specifically about doctors’ jobs, 66 percent of Vietnamese were for AI supporting doctors, but don’t want to see them fully replaced.

Only 6 percent said they would be happy if AI fully took over from doctors, while 20 percent said they did not want AI anywhere near hospitals.

Despite the hype

The Vietnamese confidence is at variance with studies that say AI threatens jobs in Asia.

Jae-Hee Chang and Phu Huynh of the International Labor Organization said in the next couple of decades 70 percent of jobs in Vietnam are likely to be automated, followed by Cambodia (57 percent), Indonesia (56 percent), the Philippines (49 percent), and Thailand (44 per cent).

Their 2016 report explained the differences in each country’s labor market structure.

In Vietnam’s case, the rate of low-skilled workers – around two in five – was the highest among the five ASEAN countries studied.

Vietnam also had a higher probability of computerization than the others.

A 2017 report by Swiss financial corporation UBS predicted AI would overtake human intelligence.

The World Economic Forum said in a 2018 report Asia could be the global leader in employing industrial robots. It is also where the highest robot production takes place — Japan and Korea are the world’s top two producers with 52 and 12 percent of market shares.

Vietnam is keeping up with global AI trends, with Ho Chi Minh City, its biggest city, spearheading the efforts.

Earlier this month it opened Vietnam’s first AI-powered socioeconomic simulation center to predict future trends for the southern metropolis, the country’s key economic driver.

HCMC leaders have said the city should develop and use AI to fulfill its Industry 4.0 potential.

Foreign and local companies are now investing heavily in AI, especially by acquiring AI startups or creating their own research labs and companies, Hanoi-based tech firm Rubik AI said in January.

The report also discovered that some universities offer AI modules in their curriculum.

“In South Korea, I can only look for jobs without much prestige, like a photocopy guy. So I decided to come to Vietnam and gain some work experience,” Choi Chang-min, a 31-year-old South Korean man, told VnExpress.

Choi has two bachelor’s degrees in international trade and finance and currently works as an executive assistant for a Korean company producing fashion garments for export in the northern province of Hung Yen, 54 km south of Hanoi. His main task is to make production plans and manage inventory.

Choi is among 400 South Koreans who’ve moved to Vietnam to work under a program called K-Move, launched by the South Korean government to connect young Koreans to “quality jobs” in 70 countries.

K-Move found overseas jobs for 5,783 graduates last year, more than triple the number in 2013, when it was first launched, Reuters reported.

The unprecedented paucity of jobs at home has seen many young South Koreans, who account for about a fifth of the 51 million population, signing up for government-sponsored programs designed to find overseas positions for a growing number of jobless college graduates in Asia’s fourth largest economy.

In 2018, South Korea generated the smallest number of jobs since the global financial crisis at 97,000.

Nearly one in five young Koreans was out of work in 2013, higher than the average 16 percent among the member of countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In March, one in every four Koreans in the 15-29 age group was not employed, either by choice or due to the lack of jobs, according to government data.

The fiercely-competitive job market at home is driving more Koreans to the K-Move program every year. The government has also increased budget support to meet rising demand – from 57.4 billion won ($48.9 million) in 2015 to 76.8 billion won in 2018, according to data released by lawmaker Kim Jung-hoon.

Park Hyung-gi, deputy director of the Human Resources Development Agency for South Koreans in Vietnam, said the South Korean government was encouraging young graduates to seek jobs abroad “towards globalization,” even as joblessness rises to high levels at home.

Choi Chang-min (L), 31, poses for a photo with his friend. Photo by Choi Chang-min.

Vietnam ahoy!

The number of young South Koreans flocking to Vietnam for work has been on the rise in recent years as many Korean-invested companies set up shop in the country.

In 2018, 383 South Korean job-seekers moved to Vietnam under the program compared to 288 from 2016. They mainly sought managerial, technical or assistant positions.

On a global scale, Japan, the U.S., Australia, and Singapore are the most favored job markets by young South Koreans. Almost one-third last year went to Japan, which is experiencing a historic labor shortage with unemployment at a 26-year low, while a quarter went to the U.S., where the jobless rate dropped to the lowest in nearly half a century in April, Reuters reported.

Previously, young college graduates in South Korea went to China to work, but they are switching to Vietnam now.

“Due to the rapid economic growth, Vietnam has emerged as a rising star in Asia in the eyes of young Koreans,” Park said.

With once attractive Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar as options, Choi decided to choose Vietnam to build a career because he felt the country made him “more energetic.”

He started working in Vietnam in July last year, and he has found life quite pleasant because he feels the two countries have cultural similarities that help him overcome difficulties in communicating, given his lack of proficiency in Vietnamese.

‘Land of opportunities’

Ku Bo-reum, 24, also followed the ‘K-Move’ program to come to Vietnam to work as an architect for an interior decoration and construction company whose branch is in the northern Hai Duong Province. She has a bachelor’s degree in architecture and has worked part-time for famous brands like Uniqlo and H&M.

“Many of my friends say that Vietnam is a land of opportunity and we can gain valuable experience in a rising economy,” Ku said.

She said she planned to work in Vietnam for around three years and then move to another country like the Netherlands or New Zealand to continue her career.

Ku feels that she is now paying an extremely high rate of income tax at nearly 30 percent of her income. She said she hoped Vietnam will be able to adjust tax regulations for foreigners.

Such issues notwithstanding, the South Korean government wants to promote the K-Move program further to increase the number workers in Vietnam, Park said.

He recommended that Vietnam should highlight its development vision and widely propagate information about what Vietnam needs to attract young Koreans. Vietnam should also invest heavily in infrastructure, roads and information technology systems to call for more and more investments from Korean businesses.

Choi said he planned to stay on in Vietnam for a long time – between five to 10 years.

“I don’t intend to go to another country as I wish to equip myself with necessary skills here and accumulate capital in order to start my own business.”