Nghe An workers go abroad to work: Difficulties and opportunities

Applications increase but exit volume low

Consulting on job opportunities and labor export for people at the job transaction session at the provincial employment service center. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Ms. Trinh Thi Huyen - Director of Kaizen International Joint Stock Company said that currently, Japan is in need of many skilled workers in construction and management of sewing lines. The cost in this market is only on par with orders to Taiwan, so many workers want to access this market.

“Although the number of workers who need to go abroad this year is up to more than 3,000 people, most of them are still waiting because their partners have not yet approved their departure quotas. This year, we have only been able to send 1,000 workers abroad to work,” Ms. Huyen said.

Contract workers of Kaizen International Corporation working in Japan. Photo: Provided by the company

The situation of increasing applications but low number of departures also occurs in many units with the function of sending workers abroad. Mr. Nguyen Chien Thang - Director of Phuc Chien Thang Labor Export and Employment Brokerage Company said: Although we have received orders to supply tens of thousands of workers for 2021 and 2022, so far the company has only been able to send 600 - 700 people to Japan, Taiwan, Eastern Europe... According to Mr. Thang, in addition to the labor supply market narrowing the number of workers, many units currently still want to check workers before accepting them to work. Therefore, many orders in Japan expect Vietnam not to supply workers from mountainous areas or untrained people...

Construction workers in the Korean market. Photo: CSCC

Mr. Tran Phi Hung - Head of the Department of Labor Safety and Employment, Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs said: Although the labor market is open, the demand for working abroad is increasing, but the number of people going abroad is not increasing. In addition to the reason that some units and unions abroad have run out of quotas, many markets are raising requirements on labor quality, only recruiting highly skilled workers...

Many opportunities for workers

Workers learn about job opportunities at a job fair in Nghia Dan. Photo: Mih Thai

According to statistics from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, in 2022, the whole province will create jobs for over 45,000 people. Of which, about 25,000 workers will go abroad to work. The Department has directed the collection, storage and synthesis of labor market information, promoted the connection between labor supply and demand; organized job fairs attracting many businesses, vocational training institutions, workers, and students to participate.

Mr. Vi Ngoc Quynh - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said: In 2023, the labor export sector will explode with positive signals from traditional markets to new markets. If traditional markets such as Taiwan, Japan, and Korea continue to open their doors to Vietnamese workers, new markets such as Europe are also very open.

Mr. Nguyen Du - Director of the East Asia Institute of Economics and Technology said that many European countries are increasingly inviting Vietnamese workers in many forms. For example, in Germany, at the end of November, the Government of this country issued new regulations on immigration reform for skilled workers. Accordingly, Vietnamese workers in nursing, construction, restaurants - hotels, auto mechanics, food processing... are welcomed by this market with attractive salaries and good working conditions...

The leader of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said that with such open potential, in order to effectively export labor, what needs to be done now is to prepare good human resources from the beginning of the year; open short-term vocational training classes, foreign language classes for workers in rural areas as well as build a mechanism to support preferential loans for poor workers,... so that Nghe An workers can feel secure when going abroad. This is also the fastest way to build the Nghe An labor brand in front of international unions.