Officials from the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs provide consultations to people who want to work abroad in the Republic of Korea (RoK). VNA/VNS Photo Trần Phương

72,294 Vietnamese labourers went to work abroad during the first six months of the year, meeting 65.72% of the annual target, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), VOV reported.

The figure shows a 1.55-fold increase compared to the same period last year when 46,578 were sent abroad to work under seasonal contracts.

Japan received the largest number of Vietnamese guest workers in the first half of the year with 34,508 workers, followed by Taiwan (China) with 31,538 workers.

The third and fourth positions went to the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China with 1,608 and 902 workers, respectively.

Elsewhere, Vietnam sent 727, 712, and 469 workers to Singapore, Hungary, and Romania, respectively, throughout the reviewed period.

June alone saw 12,649 Vietnamese workers head abroad, mostly to Japan and Taiwan (China).

According to the Department of Overseas under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam currently has nearly 500 enterprises licensed to send workers to work abroad.

In 2023, the ministry will also coordinate with agencies to negotiate labour cooperation agreements with European countries. It is expected that about 110,000 workers will be sent abroad this year.

A Vietnamese coffee shop in the Republic of Korea. Photo: cafebiz.vn

Vietnam and the RoK on June 23 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding sending and receiving Vietnamese workers to work in the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS) Program.

The MoU will be valid for two years from the signing date and will remain in effect during the negotiation of a new extension period.

Labour co-operation between Vietnam and the RoK officially started in 1993 through a collaboration programme focusing on labour supply. Since then, the RoK has become one of Vietnam’s key markets, attracting plenty of Vietnamese workers who come to work in the Northeast Asian country.

As of June 1, as many as 48,950 Vietnamese guest workers have been working in the RoK market with an average income ranging between from USD 1,500 to USD 2,000 per month.

Currently, there are over 33,500 Vietnamese guest workers working in the RoK under the EPS Program. The scheme offers many high-income jobs to Vietnamese workers.

In May, Deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang asked people to stay alert against offers of “cushy jobs with high salaries”, during the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi.

She reiterated that the Vietnamese government advocates legal, safe and orderly migration, and resolutely fights against illegal migration, the facilitation of illegal migration, and human trafficking.

The ministry has teamed up with relevant agencies in stepping up the communications work over people’s self-seeking jobs abroad, Hang said, asking people to stay alert against promises of high-paid, easy jobs without the requirement of degrees as they would easily become victims of labour exploitation in online gambling establishments, illegal residency and even human trafficking, the deputy spokesperson warned.

Vietnam and RoK Strengthen Cooperation in Labor Vietnam proposed that the RoK expand the industries and occupations to increase opportunities for Vietnamese workers in this market.

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