In 2020, Adam Mackay left his 6-year logistics job, where his salary never exceeded 30,000 GBP annually. He gambled on a career in information technology (IT), a field then hailed as the "king of all professions" with promises of high income and endless opportunities.

Adam pursued a second bachelor's degree, then a master's, incurring student debt of up to 90,000 GBP. Despite graduating with honors, his entry into the job market was a harsh reality check.

During the two months he spent on his thesis, he diligently sent out 40 job applications each week. The result: no replies, no interviews.

Adam Mackay. Photo: Telegraph

Joseph, 23, a top IT graduate, quickly faced similar disillusionment. After submitting over 100 applications for programming roles, he received only two callbacks. "I once thought excellent academic performance would be a first-class ticket, but that's not the reality," Joseph remarked.

The experiences of Adam and Joseph clearly illustrate the dramatic shift in the UK's technology sector. The "golden door" that once welcomed new graduates has now closed.

Data from the Welcome to the Jungle recruitment platform in 2025 indicates a 40% decrease in junior software engineer vacancies compared to early 2023. A report from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) also noted a concerning trend: information technology (IT) students now face the highest unemployment rate among all fields 15 months after graduation.

Rashik Parmar, a former IBM executive and advisor at the University of Leeds, stated he frequently receives distress calls from parents and recent graduates. "The entry-level market is extremely tough," he observed. The number of job postings for senior-level personnel is currently four times higher than for entry-level positions, creating a "bottleneck" that prevents young professionals from entering the field.

This downturn stems from three main factors. First, to cut costs, technology companies have outsourced basic programming jobs to countries with cheaper labor. Second, the global wave of layoffs in 2025 resulted in 250,000 IT professionals losing their jobs, forcing new graduates to compete directly with experienced "veterans" eager for employment.

Finally, and most significantly, is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Microsoft has acknowledged that approximately 30% of its software code is now written by AI. Repetitive tasks, once a common starting point for interns to gain experience, are now perfectly handled by machines.

Under financial pressure, many aspiring tech careers are being redirected. Adam Mackay is considering a career in teaching, believing that education is one of the few fields AI cannot immediately replace.

After months of difficulty, Joseph eventually secured a junior position through a personal connection. "IT is no longer a golden ticket," he concluded. "Now, personal connections and practical experience are what truly matter."

Mirroring global trends, Vietnam's IT market is also experiencing an unprecedented "winter." A report from VietnamWorks in late 2024 revealed that 60% of laid-off IT personnel had not found new employment after one year. This indicates that IT is no longer the "promised land" that easily accommodated all skill levels.

According to human resources experts, the wave of IT staff reductions in Vietnam is occurring more subtly under the guise of "restructuring." An ITviec report indicated that the percentage of businesses planning to expand their IT workforce in the first half of 2025 significantly dropped to approximately 60%, a record low in recent years. Nearly 40% of businesses opted to "freeze" recruitment or reduce headcount to optimize costs.

Vietnam's IT labor market presents a paradox of "both surplus and shortage." Junior personnel, possessing only basic or coding-centric skills, struggle to find work. Conversely, high-quality personnel (senior, expert) in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity remain highly sought after. A TopDev report indicated that Vietnam still requires hundreds of thousands of high-quality digital workers, and businesses are willing to pay 10% to 20% higher salaries for AI-related positions.

In Vietnam's IT sector, English language proficiency, once a bonus, has now become a critical criterion. With companies shifting towards global work models or securing international outsourcing projects to survive, programmers without English skills lose nearly 50% of their job opportunities, regardless of their technical expertise.

Ngoc Ngan (According to Telegraph)