Lawmakers have proposed aligning overseas labor policies with Vietnam's long-term human resource development strategy.
Vietnam's National Assembly Standing Committee has called on the government to study and introduce policies encouraging Vietnamese experts and highly skilled workers to take jobs abroad, while gradually reducing the proportion of low-skilled workers sent to overseas labor markets.
The proposal was discussed on Tuesday as the committee reviewed a draft law amending and supplementing several provisions of the Law on Vietnamese Contract-Based Workers Working Overseas.
Presenting the government's proposal on behalf of the cabinet, Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh said the amendments are intended to unlock social resources, remove institutional bottlenecks, and establish a more transparent legal framework to improve the quality of Vietnam's workforce through greater access to high-skilled international labor markets.
Minister of Home Affairs Do Thanh Binh presents the government's proposal. Photo: National Assembly.
Regarding administrative procedures, the draft law removes several requirements considered unnecessary in order to mobilize more private-sector resources and give businesses greater flexibility, particularly in recruiting, training, and preparing workers for overseas employment.
The bill also introduces additional licensing requirements aimed at preventing companies - or their legal representatives - from circumventing the law after having their operating licenses revoked for previous legal violations.
Gradually reducing the share of low-skilled workers abroad
Presenting the review report, Nguyen Dac Vinh, Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Social Affairs, said some lawmakers had proposed expanding the law's scope to cover Vietnamese seasonal workers employed overseas under fixed-term contracts, labor cooperation agreements between Vietnamese localities and their counterparts abroad, as well as cross-border workers engaged in seasonal or non-contract employment.
However, the committee's standing body noted that these issues have only recently emerged in practice. Some are currently being implemented on a pilot basis under government resolutions, while cross-border workers without employment contracts fall outside the scope of the current law.
The committee therefore recommended that the drafting agency continue reviewing and evaluating the pilot programs before considering their inclusion in a future comprehensive revision of the legislation.
The committee also urged the drafting agency to introduce state policies supporting Vietnamese experts and highly skilled workers seeking overseas employment while gradually reducing the proportion of low-skilled and untrained workers sent abroad.
According to the committee, such an approach should be aligned with Vietnam's national human resource development strategy while ensuring sufficient labor supply for the domestic economy.
The committee further recommended strengthening legal provisions prohibiting false or misleading recruitment advice and the dissemination of inaccurate information intended to deceive workers.
Regarding the rights and obligations of labor export service providers, the committee broadly supported the draft's provisions aimed at improving transparency and protecting workers' rights.
However, it proposed retaining companies' responsibility to guide workers in participating in Vietnam's social insurance system. It also called for clearer requirements regarding reporting deadlines and compliance criteria, or alternatively allowing the government to provide detailed implementing regulations.
National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh speaks during the meeting. Photo: National Assembly.
Concluding the discussion, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh emphasized the need to review prohibited acts as well as the responsibilities of labor service companies and commune-level authorities.
She said the draft law should clearly define reporting obligations, legal assistance mechanisms, and procedures for handling emergencies affecting Vietnamese workers overseas, including cases involving fraudulent recruitment agencies.
Thanh also called for stronger penalties against labor export fraud while stressing the importance of reducing administrative procedures, shortening licensing timelines, and easing financial burdens on both labor export service providers and workers seeking overseas employment.
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