Vietnamese guest workers in high demand

Overseas demand for Vietnamese workers is rising, Dao Cong Hai, Deputy Director General of the Department of Overseas Labour told Hai Quan (Customs) Newspaper.
Overseas demand for Vietnamese workers is rising, Dao Cong Hai, DeputyDirector General of the Department of Overseas Labour told Hai Quan(Customs) Newspaper.

*Which markets have been looking for Vietnamese labour in the second half of 2014?

Atthe start of 2014, the Department of Overseas Labour launched a pilotprogramme to send nurses and nursing assistants to Germany and Japan.

This has helped to open a wider labour market for skilled Vietnamese workers in developed countries.

Inaddition, the labour market in the Middle East has also shown signs ofrecovery. In 2013, the Vietnamese workers who went to work in the regionwere modest, but there have been positive signs for constructionworkers and services in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Forcountries in Africa and the Middle East, Vietnam has signed agreementsat ministerial level with Angola and Saudi Arabia to ensure safety forVietnamese workers. More recently, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids andSocial Affairs sent 50 workers to Angola to work on a pilot project.

Atpresent, Vietnam is in the process of negotiating labour agreementswith Germany and Thailand. If these agreements are reached, they willprovide opportunities for Vietnamese workers to work abroad. Accordingto the plan, in the last quarter of 2014, labour agreements betweenVietnam and Australia, Canada, Bahrain and others will be concluded.

Inthe first six months of 2014, more than 55,000 Vietnamese workers wentto work abroad, accounting for 63.5 percent of the set target. Thefigure represents an increase of 141 percent compared to the same periodlast year.

*What are the main occupations of overseas Vietnamese workers?

They vary. For example, mechanical engineering, construction, domestic workers and agro-forestry-fisheries.

Generally speaking, their monthly salary is between 900-1,500 USD - depending on the market.

*Insome countries, workers' salaries may be higher like Canada, Australiaand the US. However, not many Vietnamese workers get to work there. Inyour opinion, what are the main obstacles?

In most cases it's dueto visas. The applicants and Vietnamese labour export enterprises haveto pay various fees for work permits and deposits. In some cases, guestworkers are granted work permits, but they are not a hundred percentsure the immigration office will grant them visas.

In such cases,the enterprises will lose all the money they have paid to theircounterparts during application process for work permits and otherrelated fees. This is a hard decision for labour export enterprises.

Otherrequirements, which are also very demanding for Vietnamese workers, arethe foreign languages and qualifications. People with these skillsusually have jobs with high salaries in Vietnam. That's why quite a fewenterprises have received demand from foreign counterparts, but they areunable to recruit people.-VNA

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