2010: Difficult to Reach the Finish Line
According to the Overseas Labor Center, in the first 11 months of 2010, labor export enterprises nationwide sent 75,850 people to work abroad. Among them, Taiwan (China) still ranked first in receiving Vietnamese workers, accounting for more than one-third of the total number of workers sent abroad. Next were Malaysia with 9,479 workers, South Korea with 7,693 workers, Japan with 4,215 workers, Laos with 5,447 workers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 5,049 workers, Libya with 4,644 workers, Cambodia with 3,236 workers, Saudi Arabia with 2,511 workers…
Mr. Nguyen Luong Trao, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply, stated that in 2010, the plan to send 85,000 workers abroad was unlikely to be fulfilled. Explaining this, Mr. Trao said that although the post-crisis economy was recovering, the pace was very slow, especially in countries that attract many Vietnamese workers, causing difficulties for the domestic labor export sector. Currently, in many countries around the world, unemployment rates are increasing, job cuts are becoming more common, and the trend of business mergers has also made it difficult for local workers to find jobs. Many countries that used to be major markets, such as South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, have also reduced demand for foreign workers to make room for domestic labor. “The target may not be achieved, but sending more than 80,000 workers abroad in the current global economic situation is still an encouraging figure,” Mr. Trao said.
Regarding the reasons why labor export in 2010 could not make a breakthrough, Mr. Nguyen Luong Trao said: Although no country has restricted the import of Vietnamese labor, many technical barriers have been set up to limit recruitment, such as not recruiting certain occupations and technical levels, and requiring higher-quality human resources. On the other hand, enterprises remain cautious in choosing new markets, so they still focus on developing traditional markets with average income levels. Moreover, workers are also facing difficulties in accessing capital sources.
However, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs), was optimistic, saying that labor export enterprises are currently making every effort to complete the 2010 plan, and according to Mr. Quynh, the target of sending 85,000 people to work abroad this year could be achieved. The two markets currently accelerating and receiving many Vietnamese workers are South Korea and Malaysia. The Malaysian market is now “warming up” again with higher wages and better working conditions. Meanwhile, the South Korean market still mainly tends to select Vietnamese workers at a high rate. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has developed a plan to speed up exit procedures so that workers do not have to wait too long.
Expectations for 2011
Although there are still many difficulties due to the slow recovery of the world economy, according to Mr. Quynh, in 2011, in addition to traditional markets, several markets are expected to develop strongly, such as Eastern Europe (Poland, Belarus), the Middle East and Africa (Israel, Libya, Angola). The Asian market will become a new “focal point”, and Taiwan (China), Malaysia, and South Korea will attract many Vietnamese workers.
According to Mr. Quynh, Malaysia is still a market capable of receiving many Vietnamese workers. To increase the number of workers sent to Malaysia, it is necessary to properly appraise good, stable, low-risk contracts; guide enterprises in signing and implementing labor deployment; support enterprises in coordinating with local authorities and organizations to provide consultation and recruit workers to work in Malaysia; and provide workers with complete and objective information about the market so that they can register to work in Malaysia. In particular, it is necessary to monitor and promptly resolve arising issues, ensure workers’ rights, and avoid prolonged cases that create negative psychology among workers and public opinion. In addition, the Middle East is a key labor export market in the coming years. To send more workers to the Middle East, support for training in occupations with high market demand should be expanded, such as welding, construction trades, mechanics, services… Taiwan (China) is currently leading in receiving Vietnamese workers and will continue to be an attractive market. Libya currently has demand for receiving foreign workers to rebuild the country after a long period of sanctions, which is also an opportunity for Vietnamese workers.
One of the most attractive markets for Vietnamese workers, with a rapidly recovering economy and high demand for foreign labor, is South Korea. According to Mr. Kim Do Hoon, investment and trade promotion advisor at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, in 2011, South Korean enterprises needed to recruit more than 100,000 unskilled workers, mainly in the fields of manufacturing, production, electronics, and garment making. Meanwhile, in 2010, more than 30,000 Vietnamese workers completed health checks and Korean language tests and were waiting to go to South Korea for work. “With many positive signals from labor markets in various countries, we hope Vietnam’s labor export situation will improve in 2011. The target set for 2011 is to send 87,000 workers abroad, but we hope to exceed this target,” Mr. Quynh expressed./Source: http://www.cpv.org.vn