Guest workers need more skills

(01-04-2008)
People apply for work abroad. This year, approximately 85,000 Vietnamese are looking for work abroad. — VNA/VNS Photo Huu Viet

HA NOI — The Department for Overseas Workers Management plans to find work for about 85,000 Vietnamese labourers in foreign countries this year.

The main markets will be Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and the Middle East, the department said.

The department also plans to significantly increase labour quality and the rate of highly-skilled workers.

Despite significant increases in the number of guest workers in recent years, most are in markets with comparatively low income because they lack skills for more sophisticated markets, said Dao Cong Hai, the department’s deputy head.

The department will co-ordinate closely with the General Department for Vocational Training, Vietnamese enterprises and relevant agencies to enhance the quality and quantity of training, said department head Nguyen Ngoc Quynh.

There would also be strict supervision of labour-export enterprises to make sure they supplied workers with the necessary knowledge to work abroad.

The Department for Overseas Workers said it would perfect its official website and co-ordinate more closely with the media to improve the spread of news and information.

Seeking new markets

This year, there may be difficulties supplying labour to traditional markets, such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea and Japan and might not meet the demands of high-quality markets, including France, Australia, Canada and the U.S, the department said.

Therefore, the development of new markets is considered a necessity. The Middle East is targeted as the region with the most potential for the next few years, Quynh said.

This year, 10,000 Vietnamese labourers will be sent to jobs in the Middle East, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Quynh said the demand for guest workers in these market was very promising.

"The key point is whether we are able to guarantee labour that meets requirements for professional skills, foreign languages and a sense of discipline," he said.

According to the Department for Overseas Workers, Vietnamese guest workers in the Middle East are mainly bricklayers, electricity workers and builders. Their average monthly income is VND4 – 6 million (US$250 – 375) for untrained workers and VND6 – 8 million ($375 – 800) for trained workers.

Dang Ngoc Quang, Vietnamese trade counsellor in Egypt, said Israel and Sudan were potential markets as well as Lebanon and Libya.

According to Overseas Labour Employment Services and Construction Company director Le Xuan Luyen, besides higher income prospects in Israel, workers can learn a lot from the nation’s highly developed agricultural technologies.

In the first two months of this year, 15,764 labours went abroad. Taiwan led with nearly 6,000 labourers, followed by Malaysia, South Korean and Japan. —VNS