by ,http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/538063/soes-not-ready-for-digitalisation.html07 November 2019 Last updated at 08:34 AM
HÀ NỘI — State-owned-enterprises (SoEs) are largely unprepared for the demands of the digital age despite pressing demand for change in the sector, a researcher has said.
Trịnh Đức Chiều, deputy head of reform research and enterprise development under the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), made the statement in a workshop to discuss how SoEs are getting ready to adopt digital technology in Hà Nội on Tuesday.
Lê Hải Đăng, head of Vietnam Electricity (EVN) development strategy department, said EVN has implemented 39 projects since last year to speed up its digitalisation.
"To focus on innovation and research and development is an innate need of a company to better serve customers and improve operational efficiency," said Đăng.
SoEs also have a hard time attracting and retain IT talents due to their much less lucrative compensation policies, which are often regulated by State's labour code, compared to the private sector.
"It's difficult for SoEs to compete with the private sector to keep IT professionals. As it stands, we are losing them to private companies," Đăng from EVN said.
A representative from Petro Vietnam said another reason for slow digitalisation among SoEs was their risk-averse nature. Innovation often requires trial and error before it can produce results and failure may bring legal consequences for SoEs' leaders as the State's priority is to preserve its capital. VNS