Workers from the Central Highlands Province of Lâm Đồng in an orientation class before their work in Jeollabuk, South Korea. — Photo baolamdong.vn

HÀ NỘI — The number of Vietnamese guest workers working overseas under contracts exceeded 59,600 in the first five months of this year.

This was 54.2 per cent of the annual plan and over 1.9 times higher than the same period last year, showing positive signals from overseas employment, reported the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' Department of Overseas Labour.

Japan was the top market with 20,571 workers, followed by Taiwan (China) with 8,196. Other markets included the Republic of Korea (RoK), mainland China, Singapore, and Hungary among others.  

The Japanese Government is conducting policy reform to allow highly skilled foreign workers to attain long-term residency and expand the list of occupations for the "Specified Skilled Worker Programme" category 2.

The move is expected to increase the number of skilled workers from Việt Nam and provide them with greater benefits and long-term residency.

It is forecast that the number of Vietnamese workers under the Technical Intern Training Programme and the Specified Skilled Worker Programme in Japan could reach up to 500,000.

In the RoK, there were 48,950 Vietnamese workers as of June 1, up 9,300 from the same period in 2022, with an average monthly income of US$1,500-2,000.

Việt Nam expects to send 10,000 workers to the RoK this year under the Employment Permit System (EPS) Programme. Currently, there are more than 33,500 Vietnamese workers in the RoK under the EPS Programme.

Some 90 per cent of the Vietnamese guest workers sent overseas this year will go to East Asian markets, known for long-term commitments, safety, stable income, making them the preference of many Vietnamese workers.

At a Q&A session in the 15th National Assembly’s fifth meeting last month, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung said the sector would strengthen the recruitment and training of human resources and send contract-based workers abroad. It would also monitor enterprises providing services for contract-based overseas employment to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers.

Interconnected databases would be built to manage workers going abroad and returning home, he said. — VNS