The availability of competent chief executive officers (CEOs) in Vietnam can meet only 30-40 percent of its increasing demand, local newspaper Vietnam News on Tuesday quoted surveys as reporting.

The poor availability of qualified CEOs and other senior managers makes training them an urgent task for Vietnam, especially after it officially becomes a member of the World Trade Organization, according to a foreign-invested human resource supplier in southern Ho Chi Minh City.

According to another survey among 63,000 companies in Vietnam conducted by the country's Ministry of Planning and Investment, less than 3 percent of business owners have a post-graduate degree, while up to 43.3 percent of managers do not have a high school diploma.

A common problem in the economic private sector is that there is no clear separation between ownership and management. The CEOs are often the owners, which makes it difficult to impose necessary changes.

Many CEOs are former officials at state-owned enterprises and members of families that have been involved in commerce for generations. Only a small percentage of CEOs earn their position solely on their achievements and abilities.

Source: Xinhua