In 2019, Vietnam sent 120,000 workers to foreign markets.
Japan, Korea, UAE, and some Eastern European countries are markets that attract many Vietnamese workers.
On January 19, Mr. Nguyen Gia Liem - Deputy Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management (Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs) said that in 2019, Vietnam plans to send 120,000 new workers abroad, targeting markets such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Romania, Bulgaria...
"The number of Vietnamese workers going abroad has increased steadily over the years, especially in Japan, which increased sharply in 2018. However, these markets are increasingly demanding, requiring workers to have skills and meet other skills such as foreign languages and behavior," said Mr. Liem.
According to the head of the Overseas Labor Management Department, in Taiwan, after deducting minimum expenses, workers can save from 700 USD to 8,000 USD per month depending on the job; in Japan about 1,500 USD; in South Korea 1,300 USD to 1,500 USD. These are also markets where many Vietnamese workers want to work, so the labor industry will step up the search for contracts.
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Workers at a fish processing plant in Kamaishi, Japan. About 10% of the workers here are foreign trainees. Photo:Marketplace |
Mr. Liem added that Vietnam currently has about 580,000 workers working abroad, and can send more than 100,000 more people abroad each year. However, the concern of the authorities is that Vietnamese workers are running away and residing illegally in the host country, affecting the rights of other workers.
"In the coming time, the Department will require training centers to consider the awareness and behavior of workers during vocational training, and strengthen education for workers to raise awareness and responsibility to the community," he emphasized.
Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said that representatives of labor agencies of several countries, when working with the Ministry, all hope that the cost of contribution of Vietnamese workers abroad will be the lowest, so that they do not have to bear financial pressure, work with peace of mind, and avoid going down the illegal path. Therefore, the Ministry will have solutions to tighten regulations for businesses in this field to minimize the costs that workers have to contribute. In the first quarter of 2019, the Ministry of Labor will organize a conference with businesses to rectify the activities of sending workers abroad.
According to Mr. Doan Mau Diep, every year the whole country has 800,000 people entering the working age, the number of workers going abroad to work increases by 20-25% (an average of 150,000 people) is reasonable, we cannot expect too high an increase because it will affect the domestic human resources.
In 2018, the number of Vietnamese workers working abroad reached more than 142,800 people (including about 50,300 female workers), exceeding the plan by 30%, up 6% over the previous year. This is the fifth consecutive year that the number of Vietnamese workers working abroad has exceeded the 100,000 mark.
Last year also recorded the first time that the Japanese market attracted the most workers with more than 68,700 people, surpassing Taiwan with nearly 60,400 workers; and South Korea with over 6,500 workers.
Vietnamese workers who run away and stay illegally in Korea are the largest, accounting for 34% of the total number of workers in the country. Recently, Korea has issued a policy of grace for those who run away until the end of March next year to voluntarily return home without being punished.