Banking industry "thirsty" for digital human resources

In the technology era, digital transformation is no longer a choice but a command that determines the development of banks. When most transactions have moved to the digital environment, "digital human resources", especially technology experts with financial skills, have become a new concern of today's banks.

Digital transformation - "Thirst" for digital human resources

Over the past 10 years, the Vietnamese banking industry has witnessed an unprecedented boom in digitalization.

According to the State Bank, by the end of May 2025, the proportion of adults with bank accounts in Vietnam will reach nearly 87%, of which up to 90% of customer transactions will be conducted via digital channels. Data from the State Bank also shows that the interbank electronic payment system currently processes an average of about VND 820 trillion per day. At the same time, the financial switching and electronic clearing system (operated by NAPAS) recorded more than 26 million transactions per day. Transactions via QR codes increased by 78% in quantity and 216% in value within the first 5 months of 2025.

The program to compare biometric bank accounts with national population data has reached the milestone of 113 million personal records. This shows that the technical infrastructure is developing rapidly and gradually approaching international standards. However, this strong transformation speed places strict requirements on human resources - especially a team with in-depth knowledge of technology, data, security and banking finance. When financial services become fully digitalized, banks also need a force of "technology bankers" - human resources that understand both technology and financial operations.

Deputy Governor of the State Bank Pham Tien Dung commented: "The banking industry has never been as thirsty for digital human resources as it is today." He emphasized that the shift from direct transactions to digital transactions has created a new demand for human resources, who not only know credit, accounting, and treasury operations, but also have to master technology, understand IT system operations, use digital tools, analyze data, and especially information security.

Notably, not only large state-owned commercial banks such as BIDV , Vietcombank, VietinBank are having difficulty recruiting, but even pioneering banks in digital transformation such as MB, Techcombank, VPBank, VIB also regularly "offer rewards" to hunt for technology talent. Information from a leading joint stock commercial bank in the industry said: "Currently, the bank needs to recruit hundreds of more personnel in the information technology sector, but is almost unable to recruit enough due to a lack of suitable candidates. Positions such as AI experts, big data engineers, senior security... are all in a state of fierce 'headhunting'."

In particular, in the current context, banks are in the process of extensive digital transformation, which has become a "race" in the entire industry. Recently, the State Bank has issued many strategic decisions on the digital transformation plan for the banking industry until 2025 with a vision to 2030.

Digital transformation is not just about technology, it's about people

According to the State Bank, bank staff need to have a good understanding of traditional operations and be proficient in information technology skills to effectively implement digital business processes. However, the digital capacity of staff is still limited and uneven among personnel groups, and training budgets are limited, especially in small and medium-sized banks.

Financial experts also assess: Digital transformation is not only about applying technology but also about changing culture and operating model. Almost all operations such as opening accounts, issuing cards, and lending have been digitized. Digital management knowledge and technology are the decisive factors for the success of digital banking services.

Dr. Can Van Luc, a banking and finance expert, emphasized: “Bank digital transformation cannot be successful if it only focuses on technology infrastructure. The core is still people, a change in mindset and operational capacity in a completely new environment.” According to him, the banking industry is lacking a team of “financial technology” – specialists who are a hybrid of business and IT. This is a force that can understand the logic of banking operations and know how to use digital tools to optimize processes, improve customer experience and control risks.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Hong Quang - a banking technology expert said: "Modern banks need security engineers, data scientists , AI programmers, cloud system engineers... These positions are being competed for not only in the banking industry but also in the fields of e-commerce, telecommunications, and fintech."

The need for financial data analysis, security, AI, and blockchain requires a team of specialized human resources. Many banks have built an ecosystem that integrates ticket booking services, transportation services, commerce, etc. in digital banking applications, but to operate effectively, it requires close coordination between technology and finance experts.

Industry IT experts say that credit institutions still lack a digital competency framework, leading to unstructured training. It is necessary to build according to international standards, applied throughout the industry, from entry level to technology management leadership. Although there is no statistical report on the number of technology specialists working at credit institutions, signs show that the demand for banking IT human resources will increase by about 8-9% per year until 2030.

Some internal surveys also show that the current banking staff still has a large shortage of specialized experts such as security, AI, big data, and digital system design skills. The growth rate of internal IT positions at large banks has always been maintained at double digits each year.

The banking industry is facing a great opportunity to become the center of digital financial services in the region. The technology infrastructure is gradually being completed, the legal corridor is increasingly clear, and the State Bank of Vietnam is very interested. But all of that requires a team of human resources with enough qualifications, enough thinking and enough passion to lead digital transformation. Because "there is no successful digital transformation without people transforming"./.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nganh-ngan-hang-khat-nhan-luc-so-383855.html