Trong bối cảnh thị trường lao động ngày càng cạnh tranh, tuyển dụng nhân sự trung, cao cấp đang trở thành “điểm nóng” của ngành nhân sự tại Việt Nam. Tuy nhiên, một nghịch lý đáng chú ý là: Số lượng headhunter tăng nhanh, nhưng nguồn ứng viên chất lượng lại không đủ đáp ứng nhu cầu.
Executive Talent Market: Demand Outpaces Supply
According to a report by ManpowerGroup, nearly 80% of companies faced difficulties in finding suitable talent during the 2023–2025 period. Notably, within executive recruitment, the rate of “positions remaining unfilled despite prolonged hiring efforts” is significantly higher than for entry-level roles.
The root cause lies in the structure of the workforce. In Vietnam, only about 10–12% of the labor force is considered highly skilled. This makes mid-to-senior-level recruitment particularly challenging, especially in industries requiring deep expertise such as technology, manufacturing, finance, and logistics.
Lao Động Newspaper has also pointed out that the shortage of high-quality candidates is the biggest recruitment challenge across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. This clearly reflects the mounting pressure on companies seeking senior talent to support their growth strategies.
When Headhunters Outnumber Qualified Candidates
The rapid growth of the headhunting industry has led to a surge in both individuals and firms entering the market. However, while demand for executive hiring continues to rise sharply, the pool of suitable candidates has not expanded accordingly. As a result, the market is facing several issues:
- Fierce competition among headhunters targeting the same candidate pool
- Candidates being “over-contacted,” often receiving multiple offers from different agencies
- CV duplication across recruitment firms
- Declining screening quality due to KPI pressure
In practice, a strong managerial candidate may be approached by 5 to 7 headhunters simultaneously. This not only diminishes the candidate experience but also causes companies to miss the opportunity to engage the right person at the right time.
Mid-to-Senior Recruitment: Challenges from Both Sides
The issue is not only about quantity but also candidate quality in mid-to-senior hiring.
From the candidate side, it is common to find individuals with strong technical expertise but limited foreign language proficiency and global mindset. Conversely, candidates who meet both technical and language requirements often have compensation expectations that exceed market benchmarks.
From the employer side, several factors make it difficult for agencies to identify suitable candidates, including: Unrealistic expectations of “perfect multi-functional” candidates; Lengthy and inflexible recruitment processes; Insufficient investment in employer branding.
This misalignment makes senior-level recruitment more time-consuming, costly, and risky.
Headhunting Must Evolve to Survive
In the context of limited talent supply, the headhunting profession must transform to maintain its critical role in executive recruitment.
1. From “CV Brokerage” to Strategic Consulting
Headhunters are no longer مجرد intermediaries; they must become strategic partners with deep understanding of industries, business models, and corporate culture. Instead of only sourcing candidates on demand, professional firms proactively build talent pipelines for future mid-to-senior hiring needs.
2. Leveraging Technology and Data
AI is increasingly playing a key role in talent acquisition as an effective assistant. Companies that invest in such tools gain a competitive edge through: Data-driven search optimization Improved candidate evaluation Predictive matching of candidate suitability
3. What Should Companies Do to Improve Senior Hiring Effectiveness?
To address the challenges of senior recruitment, companies need to shift from a “buying talent” mindset to building a sustainable talent ecosystem:
- Invest in employer branding to attract high-quality candidates,
- Develop internal talent through training and career pathways,
- Shorten recruitment processes to avoid losing candidates to competitors,
- Partner with specialized headhunting firms in specific industries.
Especially, for executive roles, cultural fit should be considered as important as professional capability.
Vietnam’s mid-to-senior recruitment market is entering an intensely competitive phase, where the number of headhunters is no longer a key advantage. Instead, service quality, market insight, and the ability to build strong talent networks are the decisive factors.
In this race, both companies and headhunting firms must rethink their approach if they want to solve the senior recruitment challenge—not only as an immediate issue but as a long-term strategic priority for sustainable growth.
Editor
