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[Research Contribution] 10 Global Career Trends Shaping the 5.0 Era – Episode 2

7 July, 2025

With the ever-changing career trends, the most important thing for us to seize opportunities is to “understand the market”. With the theme “10 global career trends shaping the era of super smart 5.0 – episode 2 – part 1”, the Sustainable Career 5.0 Live Talk of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) continues to bring students and parents an profound perspective on the career picture that is changing every day – from the trend of freelancing, digital content creation, to the story of “green jobs” – “green skills” and sustainable career choices for the future.

The series of Live Talks on Sustainable Career Orientation 5.0 “Empowering Tomorrow” organized by the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), broadcast on UEH and VnExpress is a project that accompanies parents and students through connecting 3 aspects in the journey of choosing a career of the young generation: (1) Understanding personal career inclinations; (2) Understanding future trends in the 5.0 era; (3) Understanding the educational trends of the 5.0 world. With the 3 “Understandings” , students will be able to choose the right major and be “satisfied with their choice”. In the second episode of the Live Talk “10 Global Career Trends Shaping the Super Smart Era 5.0” , the speakers will accompany parents and students to find the answer revolving around the second important keyword – “Understanding the market”.

The Live Talk featured speakers and leading experts in the field of career orientation and the labor market, including: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung – Vice President of UEH; Senior HR expert Pham Thi My Le, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of L&A Holdings and MC Tuyen Tang.

Freelancer 5.0 – When Remote Work Becomes the New Norm

MC Tuyen Tang: The super intelligent era 5.0 – an era that experts believe will come very soon, maybe within the next 10 years, around 2035, or even sooner.

Freelancer 5.0 – a typical representative of the flexible, free and borderless labor model. In the context of remote work gradually becoming a new “norm” of the era, freelancer is no longer a temporary choice, but is gradually becoming a clear career orientation for many young people.

So from a human resources perspective, how does Ms. Pham Thi My Le – an experienced expert in the field of human resource management – evaluate this profession, as well as the challenges that freelancers are facing at the present time?

Senior HR expert Pham Thi My Le : I think freelancer is becoming an inevitable career trend, when today’s workers have many more choices than previous generations. It is not only the choice of those who have work experience, but also newly graduated international students, or even students still in school in Vietnam, are starting to pay attention and embark on this path.

In terms of benefits, freelancers have many unique strengths. The first is freedom in time management – you can decide when to work, not being bound by fixed office hours. The second is initiative in choosing work – you have the right to choose projects that suit your interests, abilities and passions, instead of being assigned according to the fixed structure of traditional businesses.

Especially in today’s technologically advanced world, freelancers have a plethora of remote support tools – from communication platforms to progress and payment management tools – to help improve work efficiency and expand global networking opportunities.

However, with that freedom comes no small amount of challenges.

Freelancer is essentially a “one-man show” model – that is, you do it all yourself. You are the director, the employee, the project manager, the financial manager, the operations manager, and the personal development manager. This requires you to be multi-tasking and multi-skilled, from expertise to communication, organization, and personal discipline.

Another challenge that cannot be ignored is the lack of a collaborative environment. Many freelancers, after a period of working independently, return to organizations because they feel a lack of connection and a sense of “belonging” – something that corporate culture often brings through colleagues, leadership and internal culture.

Not to mention that freelancer income is often unstable – sometimes it is high, but sometimes it falls into a state of no projects at all. This requires each individual to not only take responsibility for their own financial life, but also to continuously self-study and update their knowledge and skills so as not to fall behind the rapid changes of the market and technology.

Therefore, I want to emphasize that: to pursue a sustainable career as a freelancer, young people need to have a comprehensive capacity foundation – not only in terms of expertise, but also in terms of independent thinking, adaptability, lifelong learning spirit and especially self-discipline.

Influencer, Digital Creator, Game Streamer – Success or bubble?

MC Tuyen Tang : From the freelancer 5.0 trend, we also witness the emergence of many completely new professional titles, bearing the mark of the digital age such as: Content Creator, Digital Creator, KOL, KOC, Influencer, etc. – individuals with influence in specialized fields and are considered by many young people today as the ideal career destination.

So from the expert’s perspective, is this really a long-term and sustainable development path, or are there still potential risks hidden behind that appeal that should be noted?

Senior HR expert Pham Thi My Le: In fact, Vietnamese people inherently possess a very high spirit of independence and self-reliance, which is clearly demonstrated when in any hall, if the question is “How many of you here want to become a boss or owner?”, there will be many hands raised. That is positive because the desire to rise is always the driving force for each individual’s development.

However, the core issue is not the desire, but what have we prepared to make that dream come true? How can the journey of self-affirmation not be a bumpy road but can be shortened, systematized and more sustainable?

Returning to the professions that Tuyen Tang just mentioned, it is clear that in the era of technology and social networks, especially with the strong rise of platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and many other digital channels, the world is now entering a period of absolute dominance of user-generated content.

Therefore, the market demand for content creation human resources is very large. This is an undeniable fact. However, we also need to clearly see that the competition in this field is extremely fierce. According to a statistic I once read, every second, there are thousands of new videos and content posted globally.

So, how can you – a content creator – get into the Top 10%, or even the Top 1%, who have the appeal and ability to earn sustainable income from these platforms? That is not simple.

I think this is a field with many opportunities and many pitfalls. The opportunity lies at the mouth of the funnel is very wide – anyone can start. But the output of the funnel is very narrow, only a few people with enough capacity, perseverance and thorough preparation can break through and survive for a long time.

Therefore, if they want to enter this field, young people need to be equipped with basic and systematic skills, creativity and the ability to continuously learn – these are prerequisites to overcome the harsh qualifying round of the market.

Sustainable Jobs & Green Economy – When Work is More Than Just About Income

MC Tuyen Tang : In a modern world full of fluctuations, uncertainties and complexities like today, new trends of “sustainable careers” or “green economy” are increasingly attracting attention not only from educational institutions, but also from parents and teachers – those who play a role in guiding the future of today’s generation of students. I would like to connect with Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung to discuss two important keywords: “sustainable careers” and “green economy”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung: The issue of climate change, along with the trend of developing a green economy, a circular economy and sustainable development, is a global concern. In particular, Vietnam – one of the countries severely affected by climate change – has shown a strong commitment through the goal of achieving netzero by 2050.

In this context, the job market is shifting strongly with two prominent trends.

The first is “green jobs.” These are new jobs in new areas, such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green construction, smart cities, and applied technology to address environmental challenges. At the same time, new jobs are emerging in traditional areas, such as sustainable accounting, green credit, or corporate governance with the goal of creating social value.

The second is “green skills”. Regardless of the field, modern workers need to be equipped with basic knowledge of sustainable development thinking, adaptability, design thinking and innovation. These skills will help individuals flexibly adapt to the constant changes in the labor market.

MC Tuyen Tang: So what are the opportunities and challenges for young people when choosing a development path associated with these two trends, professor?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung : In fact, through discussions with human resource experts like Ms. My Le, we have noticed a paradox in the current labor market: there are many new jobs, many businesses need human resources, but the number of unemployed workers is still very high. The reason lies in the incompatibility between learners’ abilities and the requirements of the new market .

According to statistics, each year Vietnam has about 500,000 new workers, of which 50% are in new occupations or new positions in traditional industries associated with green economy, circularity and sustainable development. This is a golden opportunity for the young generation to grasp the trend, choose the right field, and at the same time seek a training environment capable of comprehensively equipping them with sustainable development skills.

However, the challenge is not small. That is, educational institutions must quickly restructure their training programs , ensure thy are consistent with market realities and can flexibly change when job requirements change.

MC Tuyen Tang: In this Live Talk series, we are approaching three fundamental keywords with students: “understanding yourself”, “understanding the labor market” and “understanding the University”. So what are the orientations of UEH in particular to adapt to the new career context such as green economy or green skills?

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Quang Hung: UEH has clearly identified that equipping green skills and sustainable development thinking is a mandatory requirement in the entire training program. The school has pioneered in teaching subjects on design thinking, innovation, technology, sustainable development and these are mandatory subjects for students in all majors, from economics to technology and design.

Not only that, UEH also develops new training programs on sustainable management at both undergraduate and master’s levels, providing highly qualified human resources to serve businesses, organizations and society. Traditional industries such as finance and banking are also integrated with contents on green finance, green banking, green credit, etc.

This is clear evidence that the school not only keeps up with trends but also takes the lead in innovating educational thinking associated with practical and sustainable requirements.

MC Tuyen Tang: “green jobs” and “green skills” are among the top 10 career trends of the 5.0 super smart era. This also opens up important “tips” for middle and high school students when preparing to enter the stage of choosing a future career.

However, there is a question that Tuyen would like you to share more with us: nowadays, in addition to the criteria of choosing a career based on passion, young people also have to consider market trends. In the context of the emergence of AI, sustainable economy, and strong transformation of industries, is choosing a career becoming more difficult for students, professor?

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Bui Quang Hung: MC Tuyen’s question encapsulates three very important keywords: “career choice”, “trend”, and “passion”. These are the three key factors in building a long-term and stable career development roadmap for the young generation.

First of all, when it comes to career choice, we need to understand it in a flexible and comprehensive way. At university level, the important thing is not to learn a specific profession, but to learn basic knowledge and systematic thinking so that you can adapt and develop in many different fields. Therefore, instead of choosing a “career”, you should identify a career field that interests you such as economics, engineering, design, construction, technology, etc.

Next, passion is indispensable. Passion is the sustainable motivation that helps you overcome difficulties, constantly innovate and find joy in your work.

Finally, there is the trend – a factor of the times. We are living in a period of rapid development with global trends such as circular economy, AI, and sustainable development. Therefore, grasping the trend is not only a wise choice, but also an investment for the future.

In short, young people need to know how to harmonize all three factors: suitable field, personal passion and the trend of the times. That is the formula to build a successful and sustainable career in the era of super intelligence.

This article is part of the series spreading research and applied knowledge from UEH with the message “Research Contribution For All – Research for the Community”. UEH cordially invites readers to the next UEH Research Insights newsletter.

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The Sustainable Career Orientation 5.0 Live Talk Series “Empowering Tomorrow” organized by University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City – UEH, broadcast on UEH and VnExpress is a project that accompanies parents and students through connecting 3 aspects in the career selection journey of the young generation: (1) Understanding personal career inclinations; (2) Understanding future trends in the 5.0 era; (3) Understanding educational trends of the 5.0 world. With the 3 “Understandings”, students will be able to choose the right major and be “satisfied with their choice”.

News and photos: UEH Department of Communications and Partnerships