Orders decrease

According to Tran Van Ha, Head of the Employment and Labour Safety Division, Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA), currently there are about 20,000 Bac Giang labourers working abroad mainly in Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Middle East.

Learners of ICO International Manpower JSC in a practice session.

In recent 5 years, from 3,700 to 4,700 labourers go to work abroad annually under temporary contracts with average income of about 20 million VND (865 USD) per month. Annual remittances from overseas labourers dramatically contribute to local socio-economic development.

Hence, labour export is paid due attention in employment affairs of the province. Normally, the activities of recruitment and labourers’ exits to Japan, Taiwan and Republic of Korea are quite robust from the year beginning but the number of orders sharply decreased this year due to epidemic impact. The number of orders of some labour export companies in the province decreased by 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

Vietnam –New Zealand Forestry Company Limited located in My Do ward, Bac Giang city is one of the 2 enterprises in the province granted license by Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs for sending labourers to work abroad. It was licensed to provide overseas study consultancy service in 2019.

“Due to epidemic, the company has only received applications and contacted foreign partners for pre-qualification and taught foreign languages to 3 applicants. They were schedule to fly in April but we are very worried because our partners have not confirmed reception”, said Le Thi Kim Loan, the company’s chief of office.

EPS (Employment Permit System), a programme to permit employing foreign workers under the Employment Law of the Republic of Korea, has been an effective channel for labour export of the province for many years. From 250 to 350 labourers go to work in this market annually. However, only 26 labourers exited from early this year, decreased twice compared to last year due to Covid-19 outbreak in Republic of Korea.

Flexible response

According to the plan, the province strives to create jobs for 31,000 labourers including 3,700 people working abroad. Nevertheless, labourers’ health is defined the most important amid complicated developments of the epidemic, hence, there is limitation in sending people to work abroad.

In order to maintain the labour export market amid Covid-19, labour export companies and labourers have taken measures to surmount ahead difficulties.

“Instead of direct interview for orders from Japan, an affected country, the company connected for online interviews with applicants. Besides, they cut down face-to-face classes and facilitate learners through their application software. Since early this year, they have received 82 applicants and 59 people exiting, nearly equal to the same period in 2019” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of ICO International Manpower Joint Stock Company.

According to prediction of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, foreign countries will stop employing Vietnamese labourers in case of epidemic complicated developments. Thus, localities and enterprises should make proper training plans for long-term solutions. 

Labourers should improve their skills and foreign languages in pending time to meet higher demands of the partners and have more work choices. It is especially important to well implement surveying and evaluating to provide demand-based training. It is possible to link with enterprises in the province for on-site supply.

Close and synchronous control over labor export

(BGO) – Bac Giang has been recently a top leading locality among the Northern mountainous provinces in the number of labors exported. However, there arise many issues relating to the governmental control over the labor export.  

24 Bac Giang businesses granted labor export license

(BGO) – To date, Bac Giang province has sent about 25,000 labors abroad, mostly working in Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China), Malaysia and Middle East area. 

Vietnam, South Korea sign MoU on labor export program

Qualified Vietnamese workers would be able to find work in South Korea under the program for another two years.

Japan’s new visa policy paves way for Vietnamese guest workers

Vietnamese people account for 55 percent of the foreign workers who are granted visa under Japan’s new policy adopted from April 1, 2019, according to the Immigration Bureau of Japan’s Ministry of Justice.

Vietnam ranks second in number of guest workers in Japan

Vietnam now ranks second in the number of employees working in Japan, according to the latest statistics of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Tuong Vi