An online job introduction session in northern Bắc Giang Province early this year. — VNA/VNS Photo

Young people's tendency to switch jobs can lead to fresh learning opportunities, higher incomes and better career growth, but it can also have a detrimental impact on workers' reputations and job security.

Nhữ Hoàng Thu, a native of Phúc Thọ District, Hà Nội, has worked in three different types of jobs in her short five years in the workforce. Her longest employment period was over a year, while her shortest was just three months.

The nature of Thu's most recent work was not a good fit with her personality or her desire to pursue possibilities for personal growth, so she decided to quit.

"There are a lot of new and interesting job opportunities that also offer attractive incomes for young workers like us. To make my life better in the future, I chose to take on new challenges rather than settle down,” she said.

After completing her studies in Japan, Bùi Thuý Linh, a native of Sông Lô District in Vĩnh Phúc Province, was employed as an assistant to a general manager of a company headquartered in Vĩnh Yên City. Her monthly salary, exclusive of bonuses and allowances, was US$1,200.

But a little more than a year later, Linh made the decision to leave the job because she felt the culture there was not a good personal fit. In spite of being entirely foreign owned enterprise, the business followed a family business model, with little prospect of promotion, she said.

Linh then applied to become a finance officer in a local bank where there was much more potential to advance, however she is now working in an industry which has little to do with her university studies and has numerous challenges.

Hoàng Văn Công, who has over ten years of experience in the restaurant and hotel business, finds that changing jobs allows him to advance professionally and earn a high salary. He currently resides in Quảng Ninh Province. However, regardless of his workplace, he is unable to reach an understanding with his colleagues.

"I am a team leader, but my juniors are always tacitly against the duties I suggest. They just put in little effort, which halts advancement. I'm under constant pressure since I have to answer to my superiors," he said.

Young workers born between 1997 and 2004 are seen by many experts as belonging to a creative, adaptable and technological-savvy age. But they also encounter a lot of prejudices due to being perceived as being impatient, lacking discipline and having excessive egos.

According to a poll by Deloitte, the international audit service network, which has more than 14,000 employees in 44 countries, including Asia Pacific, 46 per cent of respondents said they were used to being exhausted all or most of the time at work.

Harassment and insults at work, whether they occur in person or virtually, is another prevalent issue for young employees. The impact of the global economy presents numerous obstacles for the younger generation.

Employers demand more in terms of professional experience from young workers, intensifying competition for jobs too, a practice also common in Việt Nam, according to the report.

According to Hoàng Ngân, director of the Fireway Centre for Human Resource Development and Career Training, young employees are encouraged to develop their own thinking processes and decision-making abilities because they have grown up in a digital world. If they are not satisfied, they simply change jobs.

"Work that is meaningful and in line with personal values is valued by young workers. They anticipate a flexible work environment and technology integration and they value opportunities to grow professionally," Ngân said.

But not every young employee is the same. Many remain devoted to the company and possess sharp, critical thinking skills. It all depends on what each person values or finds most suitable, said Ngân.

Nguyễn Phương Lê, CEO of AnTag Joint Stock Company, said 'jumping jobs' does not always bring opportunities for advancement and that in some cases, workers have fallen into despair and depression after changing jobs.

It is important for young workers to understand themselves clearly, because 'job hopping' only brings benefits if approached strategically and intelligently, with clear goals and a systematic career development plan, she said.

Phạm Kim Linh, CEO of the Groovy Joint Stock Company, said employees who seize the initiative to seek out better chances for themselves could help the labour market grow as a whole.

Businesses then also proactively enhance their competitive position compared to other companies in the same sector.

"Enterprises need to raise salaries, bonuses and incentives for employees to not only attract good people but also retain workers,” she said.

Proficiency in a foreign language and relevant extra curricular school activities, in her opinion, are important factors for employers to make recruitment decisions. The truth is that companies make hiring decisions based on the value each candidate brings, particularly if they are a good fit for the role and the corporate culture. — VNS