The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) targets sending 130,000 workers overseas in 2020, focusing on high and stable income countries.
Vietnam sent over 152,530 workers abroad last year, 27.1 per cent above the annual plan, according to the Foreign Labor Administration at MoLISA. Japan was the largest market, with 82,703 workers, followed by Taiwan (China), with 54,480 and South Korea with 7,215. Other markets with increasing demand for Vietnamese labor include Russia, Romania, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Austria.
2019 was the fourth consecutive year Vietnam has sent 120,000 workers overseas within a calendar year, with the total number now standing at about 650,000 in more than 40 countries and territories and in more than 30 sectors and industries.
The Foreign Labor Administration will cooperate with labor export enterprises this year to conduct research and approach markets in Europe with high demand for workers, particularly Germany. As at the end of 2019, more than a thousand Vietnamese nurses had been sent to Germany to be trained and employed. They have all received good evaluations from the German side, according to the administration.
From March 1, Germany will allow its enterprises to hire workers from countries and territories outside of Europe in several fields, such as construction, mechanics, agriculture, medical techniques, and nursing. It is expected that MoLISA and a German labor agency will sign a cooperation agreement this year to receive skilled Vietnamese workers.
Many Vietnamese labor export companies are active in finding more contracts and developing more markets. Some have also invested in training workers in foreign languages and the necessary skills before sending them overseas.
There are currently 421 companies operating in the labor export field, with applications received last year from 112 new enterprises seeking to be licensed.
