Leaders of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (Molisa) say an updated forecast for 2017 shows the guest worker program is on solid ground.

They made the comments in response to the release of a report by the Molisa Overseas Labour Management Department showing that it targets sending 105,000 workers abroad during 2017. 

The primary target markets are Taiwan, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), said Pham Viet Huong, deputy head of the Department, adding that the revised numbers are encouraging.

Last year, the Department sent 126,296 workers abroad, the third consecutive year in a row that it placed more than 100,000 workers in foreign markets, he noted. Of the figure, 68,244 went to Taiwan, 39,938 to Japan, 8,482 to the ROK and the balance to various other markets.

He said getting the ROK to reopen its doors to Vietnamese workers was one of the biggest successes in 2016 and in the upcoming year the Department plans on continuing to expand opportunities for workers.

The Department and the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour signed an agreement to restart receiving workers, after a 4-year suspension by the ROK due to the high incidence of workers violating their contract and illegally staying after their work permit expired.

The ROK is one of top labour markets in terms of pay, Huong noted. Workers can earn anywhere from US$1,000-US$1,500 per month.

In addition, in 2016, Vietnam signed an agreement with Germany regarding the hiring of nursing assistants and orderlies to work in German hospitals. The agreement offers great opportunities for medical personnel to gain valuable work experience in modern hospital and other medical settings.

Pursuant to the agreement medical personnel can earn as much as US$2,800 monthly, provided they can meet the strict requirements for the best position on offer, which include proficiency in the German language and satisfactory completion of a 2-year professional training program.

Meanwhile, Japan recently approved new laws and regulations offering more opportunities for Vietnamese workers, said Huong.

Though the overall prospects for employment for the coming year are positive, he pointed out that the requirements are getting tougher to meet.

Particularly in Japan, the ROK and Germany, employers are demanding Vietnamese workers have better communication skills as well as productive work habits and they are being highly selective in the workers they choose.

This has put pressure on labour export companies to invest more in training and conduct more thorough searches for the best qualified candidates to meet those employer’s demands.

However, there are huge opportunities for Vietnamese guest workers in 2017, especially skilled workers, Huong emphasized, noting the most important thing is for candidates to thoroughly prepare before applying to work in foreign markets.

VOV