National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Thanh speaks at the third plenary session of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Thanh has said that amendments to the Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers Under Contract should create a new impetus for the development of overseas labour markets while meeting the demands of international integration and improving the quality of the country's workforce.

Speaking at the third plenary session of the NA’s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs on Thursday, Thanh called on delegates to carefully study and discuss the draft amendments, which have been submitted by the NA Standing Committee.

She said revising the law is necessary to institutionalise the Party's policies and improve the legal framework by promoting decentralisation, digital transformation and administrative reform. It will also enhance the business environment, shift from pre-licensing supervision to post-inspection and address shortcomings in the current legislation.

Thanh also emphasised the need to establish a transparent legal framework to strengthen labour discipline and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese workers throughout their employment abroad.

At the same time, the revised law should enhance the accountability of recruitment agencies and State management bodies to ensure workers receive adequate protection and support before, during and after working overseas.

She added that the amendments must effectively address the shortcomings that have emerged in carrying out overseas labour contracts in recent years.

Presenting the Government's proposal, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vũ Chiến Thắng said the draft amendments focus on three key areas.

The first is streamlining administrative procedures, simplifying investment and business conditions, and accelerating digital transformation.

Another focus is addressing urgent practical issues and legal shortcomings, improving the investment and business environment, promoting socio-economic development and contributing to the country's goal of achieving double-digit economic growth.

The final area is expanding decentralisation to local authorities while aligning the law with the ongoing restructuring of the State apparatus and the two-tier local government model.

Under the proposed amendments, recruitment agencies will no longer be required to register and obtain prior approval from State authorities before preparing labour sources. Instead, they will only need to notify the commune-level People's Committee where recruitment and career counselling activities are conducted.

Commune-level authorities will be responsible for supervising these activities and handling violations within their jurisdiction or coordinating with relevant agencies when necessary.

The proposed changes are intended to help develop a high-quality workforce equipped with professional skills, foreign language proficiency, cultural knowledge and legal awareness to meet growing international labour demand. They are also expected to encourage workers to pursue skilled occupations, thus improving the quality of Việt Nam's workforce through overseas employment experience.

The draft also seeks to strengthen the oversight role of local authorities and eliminate unlicensed intermediaries that illegally recruit workers and collect fees.

In addition, it introduces stricter licensing requirements to prevent enterprises, or their legal representatives, whose licences were previously revoked for serious violations from reapplying through the same company or establishing new businesses to continue operating.

According to Thắng, the measure would help create a fairer business environment by preventing repeat offenders from gaining an unfair advantage over law-abiding enterprises.

Tạ Văn Hạ, deputy chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs, expressed support for the amendments and endorsed the proposal to prioritise sending professionally trained and highly skilled workers overseas under labour contracts.

He said the policy would enable workers to earn higher incomes while gaining advanced technical skills, exposure to modern technology and management practices, foreign language proficiency, labour discipline and good work habits.

Under the draft law, Vietnamese workers employed abroad in occupations requiring advanced technical expertise or in sectors prioritised by the State would be eligible for special support policies.

Hạ said the policy would help returning workers apply the knowledge, skills and experience they have acquired overseas to contribute to national development, while gradually reducing the proportion of unskilled workers sent abroad in line with Việt Nam's workforce development strategy and the evolving needs of the domestic labour market. —VNS