Great opportunities but many 'bottlenecks' in labor export

Every year, Vietnamese workers working abroad send home about 6.5 - 7 billion USD. However, this activity still has many "bottlenecks" in terms of costs, procedures and quality of human resources...

Vietnamese workers go through the procedures to go to South Korea for work. Photo: Vietnam+

Leaders of the Ministry of Interior emphasized that the remittances of 6.5-7 billion USD per year from overseas workers are substantial, comparable to many key export industries in the country. However, this activity still faces many "bottlenecks" regarding costs, procedures, and the quality of human resources, requiring timely solutions to effectively utilize these resources.

This information was presented at the Conference on Meeting, Dialogue, and Resolving Difficulties for Businesses in Sending Vietnamese Workers Abroad under Contract, organized by the Ministry of Interior on October 30th in Hanoi .

Challenges from key markets

According to Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Chien Thang, Vietnam has a particular advantage in human resources, with over 60% of its workforce in the working age group and 53.2 million workers residing in urban and rural areas, as well as in craft villages. This facilitates Vietnamese workers' ability to choose occupations abroad such as aquaculture, agricultural processing, woodworking, and handicrafts. According to assessments from other countries, Vietnamese human resources are always preferred due to their diligence, hard work, and creativity.

Mr. Thang stated that working abroad has helped individuals and their families experience material and spiritual changes, contributing to the success of many national programs such as poverty reduction and the new rural development program.

At the conference, in addition to the achievements, Mr. Vu Truong Giang, Acting Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management (Ministry of Interior), also highlighted the challenges in countries that receive a large number of Vietnamese workers, such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan (China)...

In the Japanese market, the sharp depreciation of the yen has led to a decrease in the real income of workers, making it less attractive than before. "Although Japan has added a series of policies and opened up many new job categories, the complex selection process makes it difficult for domestic workers, even those who wish to work in Japan, to determine which industry group they belong to," Mr. Giang stated, highlighting the reality.

In South Korea, the biggest challenge currently is the problem of runaway workers, especially among seafarers, due to some companies offering high wages to attract workers, leading to unfair competition.

Furthermore, the rate of overseas labor export in the shipbuilding industry is low compared to the number of registered contracts, because Korean brokerage firms and employers often "offer" the same order to multiple companies, then choose the Vietnamese partner that offers the better fee.

The Taiwanese (China) market also suffers from widespread brokering, deeply interfering in the selection process and costs, driving up the cost of going to work. Among the more than 500 operating businesses, there is still a segment of weak companies that compete by paying commissions to brokers to win contracts, then charging high fees from workers to compensate.

Mr. Vu Truong Giang, Acting Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management, shared information about the markets that receive a large number of Vietnamese workers. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

In addition to the aforementioned difficulties, according to the head of the Department of Overseas Labor Management, the foreign language skills and professional expertise of workers are still limited. A segment of workers has not yet met the requirements of receiving markets, especially developed countries, forcing businesses to invest more in foreign language training, skills development, and professional expertise.

In addition, many businesses face difficulties in accessing immigration law information in emerging markets in Europe and America, which significantly hinders labor market expansion.

"Bottlenecks" related to costs and procedures.

At the conference, Deputy Minister Vu Chien Thang frankly pointed out the existing problems that have become "bottlenecks" hindering the process of sending workers abroad. A typical example is the continued practice of some businesses charging excessive and unreasonable fees, causing difficulties and frustration for workers.

"The situation of being charged high fees has pushed those who are already vulnerable into an even more vulnerable situation, making those who are already struggling even more difficult," Mr. Vu Chien Thang emphasized.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs also frankly acknowledged the weak management and irresponsibility of state agencies and local authorities, which prevented workers from distinguishing between non-profit and commercial employment contracts.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Chien Thang speaks at the conference. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

The dissemination of information and identification of relevant agencies for workers and businesses at the grassroots level is unclear and inadequate. From international agreements signed by the Ministry and the Department of Overseas Labor Management to those recruiting workers, there is still a lack of information. Workers only know about going to Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc., but are unaware of which agencies are licensed to send them to work.

In particular, the administrative mechanisms and procedures for sending Vietnamese workers abroad are still cumbersome, involving many layers of intermediaries, causing difficulties for many businesses and workers. Leaders of the Ministry of Interior stated that at the time of the merger, they had received feedback from businesses regarding overlapping procedures and the difficulties faced by service providers in obtaining numerous permits…

To address this issue, the Ministry of Interior has issued a thematic resolution on this field, which includes six groups of immediate solutions such as simplifying and streamlining administrative procedures to facilitate citizens and businesses. Accordingly, the Ministry of Interior is reviewing and finalizing the Decree amending Decree 112/2021/ND-CP guiding the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contract, with the aim of minimizing processes and procedures.

According to the leaders of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry has also implemented decentralization and delegation of authority to localities in the field of sending workers abroad, while promoting digital transformation in handling administrative procedures, minimizing contact between businesses and implementing officials.

According to VNA

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/co-hoi-lon-nhung-con-nhieu-nut-that-trong-xuat-khau-lao-dong-525112.html