Hiring in Human Resources: Guide and Trends in 2026

Human Resources hiring market regains momentum in 2026

In 2025, global economic uncertainty and declining consumer demand weakened hiring sentiments in Vietnam. Costs were top of mind for many employers, who focused on replacement hiring and internal talent mobility. Furthermore, the adoption of AI and other digital technologies also reshaped job scopes, reducing demand for purely administrative Human Resources (HR) roles.

From what Naomi Nguyen has observed, expectations were high across all players in the market. “There was more selectivity in hiring as employers now expect HR professionals to act as strategic partners who can link talent strategy to business growth,” says the Senior Manager from Robert Walters Vietnam. “Employees – especially Gen Z talent – sought better work-life balance, hybrid work arrangements and robust learning and development programs.” 

Both employers and employees will keep raising the bar in the year ahead. Already, more efforts are going into sustainable HR policies and diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, which organisations believe strengthens their employer value proposition (EVP). Talent in the industry, too, are actively upskilling themselves in data analytics, digital HR systems and change management to maintain a competitive edge.

Read on to find out more about the labour market and hiring trends for Vietnam’s Human Resources professionals in 2026.

HR functions become more strategic and tech-enabled

Hiring sentiments are expected to strengthen in 2026 as economic conditions stabilise. Nevertheless, the labour market will continue to wrestle with several key shifts.

Many multinational companies have centralised operational HR tasks to other regional hubs in Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia. Tasks like compensation and benefits, total rewards and talent acquisition, which were formerly handled by teams in Vietnam, have now moved offshore. As a result, local teams are now made up of talent responsible for strategic partnership roles, like HR business partners (HRBPs) or HR strategy managers. Demand will continue to grow for experts who can bridge local operations and regional headquarters.

More investments will go into digital transformation, creating more data-driven and tech-enabled HR functions. Naomi anticipates more widespread adoption of tools like Workday, SAP and SuccessFactors, and integration of AI into certain recruitment processes. Against this backdrop, HR professionals who can derive insights and business strategy from data will stand out in the hiring market.

Lastly, businesses will take to hiring models that prioritise skills and agility. Experience requirements will become less important. Instead, candidates will be assessed for their agility, adaptability and learning potential.

Top roles and skills in demand

No matter the role, the most valuable soft skills that HR professionals can have are change management, adaptability, stakeholder management, influencing, analytical thinking, business acumen, communication and emotional intelligence.

In 2026, there will be heavy demand for HRBPs. This arises from a larger business need to keep Vietnam operations competitive and compliant as companies streamline operational HR functions and centralise regional processes. Amidst these changes, HRBPs are responsible for aligning local talent strategies with business objectives.

HR directors and heads of HR are also highly sought after, especially by growing local entities and regional hubs. These senior leaders are expected to champion culture and lead employees through transformation efforts. They also need to partner with regional offices to implement group-wide strategies.

Total rewards, or compensation and benefits specialists, are also in tremendous demand. These experts are valued for their ability to design equitable, performance-based reward frameworks tailored to Vietnam’s labour market.

The impact of AI on HR careers

Naomi names transactional HR roles – administrators, payroll officers and basic talent acquisition coordinators – as among the most vulnerable to AI and automation.

To safeguard their careers, these professionals will need to enhance competencies on two fronts. On the technical side, it is advised that they leverage data analytics to make evidence-based people decisions. Meanwhile, with human-centric skills, professionals should enhance their empathy, communication and change management. All of these can be applied in strategic and advisory domains like workforce planning, culture building and leadership development.

Advice for talent attraction and retention

A noticeable segment of candidates are actively exploring new opportunities as they were impacted by regional or global structuring exercises, which saw firms shifting operational roles to regional hubs. This made several experienced HR professionals available on the market. However, the majority of talent in the industry are prioritising job stability and are hence more hesitant to change jobs.

While overall confidence in the job market is expected to improve, candidates will remain selective. When exploring new opportunities, they will seek out roles that offer increased salary, an expanded job scope that includes regional exposure, strategic involvement beyond transactional work, strong leadership and work culture, and positive work-life balance.

The labour market remains tight, so competitive compensation and hybrid work arrangements remain necessary in many cases for talent attraction and retention. Companies that invest in career development and leadership pathways also have a stronger footing with keeping employees engaged and loyal.

Business leaders should also think carefully about the organisational culture they want to build, as this forms the basis for the organisation’s EVP. It also provides a useful filter for hiring conversations. By being transparent about what issues or problems HR needs to solve, businesses will fare better at attracting talent with the right expertise and mindset. Once onboard, these professionals can also help ensure consistency between regional HR strategies and local execution.

Finally, Naomi suggests balancing the use of digital HR tools with human leadership. Digital tools can improve operational efficiency, automate workflows and strengthen analytics. Nevertheless, managing a workforce still requires a human-centered approach.

Moderate salary growth

Wages will increase by 5 – 8% for mid- to senior-level HR professionals with strategic or digital capabilities. Niche skillsets like HR analytics and compensation and benefits may command higher, premium pay raises.

However, transactional roles will see slower wage growth due to automation.

Find out more 

Request access to our 2026 Salary Survey to benchmark salaries and to find out more about key hiring trends in Vietnam.