A paradox in human resource training (VOV) - Vietnam currently boasts 72,000 unemployed bachelor's and master’s degree holders, which poses something of a paradox between the real market and university training demands. The figure announced recently by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has captured great public attention, because it is apparently a waste of talent, setting alarm bells ringing about the development and use of human resources for the country. In Vietnam students expect to broaden their knowledge, hone new skills and get a good job after leaving university to earn a living. With so many university graduates and master’s degree holders failing to find employment, their dreams turn sour, resulting in a waste of energy and financial sources. More importantly, the country fails to recruit highly skilled human resources which should have been used to contribute to national development, if an appropriate policy was in place. Who is to blame? It’s a common occurrence that workers are unemployed as a result of the economic slowdown and low employment demands from businesses. Paradoxically, a large number of businesses complain they are in dire need of high skilled human resources, but they cannot find the source. Many job fairs have been held by businesses during the year, but only 20% to 25% of the candidates have met employers’ requirements.   Factories at industrial parks are in dire need of engineers (Photo:ktdt) An increase in the number of universities creates more opportunities for students to nurture their dreams, and consequently many young people believe tertiary education is the only way of being successful in the future life. Higher enrolments mean higher numbers of graduates and a higher rate of unemployment if the labour market is saturated or has a low demand. While factories lack skilled workers and engineers, the country produces an oversupply of bachelor’s and master’s degree holders, especially in the areas of accounting and business administration. The imbalance on the labour market is attributed to universities’ pursuit of profit, the State’s improper investment, and the labour sector’s poor forecast capacity, as well as students’ preference of university degrees. However, experts lay the blame on students and their families’ wrong choice. When the tertiary entrance exams are coming near, many colleges and vocational schools are on the gridiron as they have received few applications. It is no easy task to change Vietnamese people’s deep-rooted behaviour towards study and jobs. In addition to the State’s effort to renovate the training system in line with the country’s human resource needs, each student should be more aware of their future choice.  VOV