Illustrative photo (Source: hanoitv)Hanoi (VNA) - The VietnamAssociation of Manpower Supply (VAMAS) on April 17 announced the results of theannual evaluation of migrant worker recruitment agencies, with 43 percent ofagencies ranked receiving a five star rating.
The annual ranking, the fourth of its kind, evaluates recruitmentagencies’ performance against VAMAS’s code of conduct for recruitment agenciesintroduced in 2010. The evaluation of recruitment agencies is carried out withthe support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The code is a voluntary instrument that aims to improvecompliance with Vietnamese legislation and international standards, to promotebetter business management and to protect migrant workers from exploitation,including forced labour and human trafficking.
VAMAS President Nguyen Luong Trao said that “more and morerecruitment agencies applying the code of conduct have shown progress” invarious areas including selection of partners and donors, training and supportfor migrant workers and job security for returning workers.
However, violations of the code committed in 2016 include a lackof regular reporting, insufficient training, costs above standard rates, andsending migrant workers abroad without permission, he said.
Out of 86 agencies ranked in 2016, 37 were given five stars, 41four stars and the rest three stars. The ranked agencies sent more than 60 percentof all workers going abroad through Vietnamese agencies last year.
The number of agencies joining the initiative will increase to 106next year.
ILO Vietnam Director Chang-Hee Lee recognised the role of theprivate sector in “protecting migrant workers from abusive and fraudulentpractices during recruitment, reducing migration costs, and enhancing developmentoutcomes of migration”.
“Experience has shown that good recruitment practices lead topositive migration experiences, and these can enable inclusive and sustainabledevelopment – for migrants, their families and communities, and Vietnam,” hesaid.
Cross-border labour migration from Vietnam has significantlyincreased over the last two decades. The country had 278 licensed recruitmentagencies in 2016, sending 126,000 migrant workers abroad.
Most of the world’s approximately 232 million migrants left theircountries in search of decent jobs to improve their – and their families’ –livelihood. According to the ILO’s Fair Migration Agenda, while discriminationand labour abuses are common among migrant workers, and the costs of migrationhigh, migration can enable human development alongside economic growth.-VNA
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