Nghe An province ranks first nationwide in the number of people going abroad for work.

(Baonghean.vn) - In 2016, Nghe An continued to lead the country in the number of people going abroad for work with nearly 13,000 people.

Reporting at the summary conference, Mr. Nguyen Bang Toan - Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said that in 2016, Nghe An province sent nearly 13,000 people to work abroad under fixed-term contracts. The main markets were Taiwan (4,556 people), Malaysia (1,606 people), South Korea (1,312 people), Japan (2,244 people)... Localities such as Nghi Loc, Do Luong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen... each had over 1,000 people.People who went abroad for work in the past year.

Overview of the conference. Photo: Tien Hung.

With this figure, Nghe An continues to lead the country in the number of people working abroad. To date, the total number of workers from the province working overseas is approximately 61,000. The income sent back by this workforce annually is estimated at 255 million USD. “That doesn't include remittances sent through unofficial channels or other informal means. These are also significant sources of income contributing to sustainable poverty reduction and stabilizing people's lives,” Mr. Toan said.

However, alongside these achievements, there are still limitations, such as the fact that some localities, especially at the commune level, have not yet recognized the role and benefits of labor export activities, leading to limitations in directing and implementing the policy. Only 35.4% of the workforce is skilled. Access to high-income markets such as Germany, the UK, Canada, and Australia is still limited.

Workers inquire about and register for overseas employment at the Nghe An Job Placement Center. Photo: Internet.

Over the past year, the rate of Vietnamese workers absconding from their workplaces, failing to return home after their contracts expire and instead remaining illegally in South Korea, has remained high, particularly at nearly 43%. This has created a negative image for Vietnamese workers in general and those from Nghe An province in particular. This is also the main reason why South Korea has not renewed the agreement under the EPS program in recent times.

Furthermore, the phenomenon of people independently or through intermediaries going to countries such as Angola, Japan, and South Korea to work without labor contracts and residing illegally has caused significant harm to both the workers themselves and state management efforts. Many workers still violate contracts and laws in the host countries after arriving to work.

Speaking at the conference, many businesses stated that many localities still create difficulties in the recruitment of workers. “Local authorities are not truly supportive and require cumbersome procedures. The provincial departments are very accommodating, but when it comes to the district level, they create obstacles,” a leader of a company specializing in labor export expressed his frustration. Businesses also expressed concern that unfair competition is another limitation in recruiting people to work abroad.

Comrade Le Minh Thong delivered the concluding remarks at the conference. Photo: Tien Hung

Concluding the conference, Comrade Le Minh Thong affirmed: "The Nghe An provincial government is very interested in labor export, as this is a factor that contributes greatly to poverty reduction. Although there were many difficulties and challenges last year, the labor export work still exceeded the set plan, which is very commendable."

However, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also pointed out some shortcomings and limitations, suggesting that solutions should be implemented to overcome them in the coming year, such as the fact that the number of workers going to high-income markets like Germany and Canada is still not high; and the results are not commensurate with the potential of Nghe An, which has abundant human resources...

Eighteen organizations received Certificates of Commendation from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for their work in labor export. Photo: Tien Hung

At the conference, 18 organizations that had achieved outstanding results in labor export were awarded Certificates of Commendation by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Tien Hung