Labour export sees bright prospects

According to the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, 2018 was the fifth consecutive year that the number of Vietnamese labourers sent abroad exceeded 100,000.

Japan remained the biggest labour market of Vietnam in the year receiving 68,737 labourers, followed by Taiwan (China) with 60,369 and the Republic of Korea with 6,538.

The department attributed the results to rising demand in major labour markets, while Vietnamese workers’ quality meet the requirements in many new areas such as nursing, agriculture, aquaculture and technology.

Efforts have also been taken by firms to expand markets and improve the quality of the labour force. Furthermore, labourers themselves have upgraded their skills.

Nguyen Gia Liem, Vice Director of the department, said in the first quarter of 2019, the ministry will organise a conference with labour firms to seek measures to tackle problems in labour export activities and ensure interests of workers.

In 2019, Vietnam aims to send 120,000 labourers to work abroad, targeting major markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Romania and Bulgaria.

Liem said that many Eastern European countries have shown interest in Vietnamese labourers. Along with traditional markets, hundreds of thousands of job opportunities are available for Vietnamese workers in Europe thanks to deals on labour cooperation signed in late 2018.

For instance, Bulgaria is in need of 50,000 Vietnamese labourers in construction, garment and textile, hi-tech agriculture and nursing.

Together with expanding markets, the department will focus on completing the legal system, while coordinating with relevant agencies to propose adjustments to the Law on Vietnamese guest workers, which will be submitted to the National Assembly in 2020.