Vietnam last year sent 70,000 workers overseas. As expected, 80,000 Vietnamese workers will go abroad to work this year. Experts say Vietnam’s labour exportation has not matched the country’s potential. Therefore, the major task for this sector this year is to improve both quality and quantity of export workers.
According to the Vietnam Labour Export Association, Vietnam has 139 labour export businesses. Since 1999, Vietnam has sent abroad 350,000 workers and these workers estimatedly send home $1.5 billion per year or $300 per worker per month. Director Nguyen Thanh Hoa of the association said Vietnamese workers are diligent and quick in learning but they are still in need more training so as to increase competitiveness.
The director of a labour export company said Vietnamese workers are not good enough in foreign languages so it is difficult for them in solving problems in relations with employers. Meanwhile, foreign employers complained that Vietnamese workers are not only weak in foreign languages but also need to improve their working and discipline and legal obedience. These limitations have bad impacts on prestige of Vietnam’s labour exportation as Vietnamese labour export firms are targeting markets that require high quality labour.
In order to improve quality of export labour, in parallel with improving the policy system, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has just submitted to the Government the law draft on labour export covering almost every aspect of this field. Labour export firms thus will be renewed in the direction of reducing quantity, increasing professionalism and competitiveness, removing weak companies or those just acting as mediator.
According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Luong Trao, if a firm sends less than 100 workers overseas within 18 months after it is licenced, it’s licence for labour exportation will be revoked. Export workers who break contract can be fined up to VND50 million or sent to penal court.
The Government has just approved the plan for training export workers until the year of 2010. Under this plan, the labour export sector aims at sending over 100,000 workers abroad per year and increasing the rate of trained workers from current 30% to 70% by 2010 and 100% by 2015. 10 vocational training centers for export workers will be established.

Source: VNEconomy