23% of businesses sending workers to work abroad are ranked A1.

The ranking of enterprises recruiting workers to work abroad in 2013 was announced on the morning of September 11 in Hanoi, with 23% of enterprises ranked highest (A1).

The assessment was conducted by the Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply (VAMAS) based on the Code of Conduct (CoC-VN) for labour supply enterprises – a mechanism applied since 2010 with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) within the framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion Triangle Project (migrant worker protection project) funded by the Australian Government.

CoC-VN is a voluntary self-regulatory tool to improve compliance with domestic laws and international standards, strengthen business management and protect migrant workers from exploitation.

The ranking consists of four groups – excellent (A1, A2), good (B1, B2), average (C1, C2) and poor (D1, D2). More than half of the businesses ranked are in the A2 group and nearly a fifth are in the B1 level.

According to VAMAS Chairman Nguyen Luong Trao, the process of monitoring and evaluating enterprises implementing CoC-VN is not simply about collecting information, checking, evaluating and ranking, but "more importantly, it is the process of mobilizing and supporting enterprises to improve professional ethics and comply with ILO standards on international labor migration".

Workers line up to complete exit procedures. Illustration photo/internet.

In the second year of the ranking, the number of recruitment enterprises participating in monitoring and evaluation has more than doubled (from 20 enterprises in the first year to 47 enterprises in the second year). These enterprises account for more than a quarter (27%) of the total number of enterprises operating in this field and manage up to half of the number of Vietnamese workers sent to work abroad. In the third year, the number of participating enterprises is expected to increase to 70.

Mr. Trao said: “The monitoring, evaluation and public announcement of the implementation results of CoC-VN need to continue to be carried out annually and gradually expanded to all recruiting businesses.”

Six of the 20 businesses ranked in the first year were upgraded in the second year due to improvements, but conversely, five businesses were downgraded due to violations.

Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, affirmed the commitment of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to continue supporting VAMAS's efforts in expanding the scope of assessment and making this activity an annual one.

“This is a good way to enhance fair competition between businesses, prevent violations in the recruitment process, improve the quality of business services and thereby create a new, trustworthy image for businesses,” said Mr. Hoa.

Strengthening self-monitoring is one of the key points in the ILO Agenda for Quality Improvement in Recruitment as it supports the implementation and monitoring of government regulations for recruitment agencies, especially in the context of the forecast that labour migration will continue to increase along with the economic integration process in the region.

With the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of 2015, the number of Vietnamese workers going to work abroad is expected to increase.

“This requires better protection of migrant workers and improved service quality of recruitment agencies. Therefore, self-monitoring and assessment tools such as CoC-VN benefit both employers and workers,” said ILO Viet Nam Director Gyorgy Sziraczki. “Labor migration is no longer seen as a solution only for poverty reduction. Viet Nam should continue to place importance on the quality of recruitment services and better protection of workers to benefit the most from the labor migration process.”

According to Australian Ambassador Hugh Borrowman, the operation of an efficient labour market not only involves workers, employers and public employment agencies, but private employment agencies now play an important role connecting workers and employers.

“The Australian Government is proud to support this important process through the ILO Greater Mekong Subregion Triangle Project to contribute to building a well-functioning labour market where everyone benefits fairly,” said Ambassador Hugh Borrowman.

Currently, Vietnam has more than 170 labor supply enterprises, sending about 80,000 workers abroad each year to more than 40 countries and territories around the world.

According to QĐND