Vietnam-RoK Promote Cooperation on Social Insurance for Guest Workers

Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung (front, left) and the RoK's Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol sign the bilateral agreement on social insurance on December 14, 2021. Photo: VNA

The Vietnamese Government has issued a resolution approving an agreement on social insurance signed with the Government of the Republic of Korea (RoK) on December 14, 2021, VNA reported Tuesday.

Over the past years, the number of Vietnamese citizens working in the RoK has accounted for the majority of Vietnamese guest workers. Together with the expansion of bilateral trade and investment, the number of RoK nationals coming to work in Vietnam has also been on the rise.

The bilateral agreement on social insurance, comprising five parts with 24 articles, is said to be an urgent need to create favourable conditions for the flows of workers and protect the rights and interests related to social insurance of workers from both countries.

It aims to avoid double social insurance contributions paid by Vietnamese and RoK citizens working in each other’s countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with handling procedures related to the agreement.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is in charge of chairing and coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to sign an administrative deal under Article 13 of the agreement and organising the agreement implementation after the Government’s approval.

In 2004, the two countries signed an agreement on receiving Vietnamese guest workers in the RoK following the Employment Permit System (EPS).

According to the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour, the country has a plan to employ about 110,000 migrant workers this year to work at farms and factories, but some businesses believed even more will be needed to keep them running.

Vietnam set a target of sending 10,000 workers to the RoK in 2023. Since the beginning of this year, 3,600 labourers have been sent to the East Asian country under the EPS programme.

At a gathering to provide legal consultancy for Vietnamese guest workers in Gyeonggi province and surrounding areas. Photo: VNA

Last year, Vietnam sent nearly 9,000 workers to the RoK under the EPS programme, out of 70,000 set for 16 selected countries.

The EPS Vietnam Office in the RoK will coordinate with the labour management board and the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK to provide training for the workers, helping them quickly integrate into the host society.

Joint efforts will also be made to popularise the Korean laws among the guest workers, and more measures will be taken to support them, Head of the EPS Vietnam Office in the RoK Pham Minh Duc said.

Previous, on April 23, the Vietnam EPS Labour Management Office, in collaboration with the Support Centre for Foreign Workers in Uijeongbu city of Gyeonggi province, held a meeting with Vietnamese labourers working in the city and surrounding areas to update them on the RoK’s law.

As the RoK remains an attractive market for Vietnamese workers, the office has considered law popularisation meetings a regular activity to strengthen the management work and provide support for Vietnamese labourers to ensure they follow their signed contracts and abide by the host country’s law.

At the meeting, participants were also provided with knowledge related to working and living conditions in the RoK, as well as banking and finance for those working under the EPS programme.

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