Labourers attend the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) in order to work in South Korea. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Tuấn

HÀ NỘI — About 650,000 Vietnamese people were working in more than 40 countries and territories worldwide, according to statistics from the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

In 2019, the country sent 152,530 labourers abroad, surpassing the year’s plan by 27.1 per cent. Japan was the biggest recipient with nearly 83,000 labourers, followed by Taiwan (China) with 54,480, the Republic of Korea (RoK) with 7,215, Romania with 3,478, and Saudi Arabia with 1,375.
2019 was the fourth consecutive year Việt Nam sent more than 120,000 workers overseas, said Director of the Overseas Labour Department Tống Hải Nam.

To date, 421 businesses have gained licences to provide overseas employment services.

Nam added that some traditional markets still have high demand for workers, including Japan, Taiwan and the RoK, along with those in Europe like Russia, Romania, Germany, Poland, Latvia and Austria.
By the end of 2019, more than 1,000 Vietnamese nurses had left to study and work in Germany. The Skilled Workers’ Immigration Act of Germany, which will take effect this March, allows local firms to receive non-EU workers in the fields of construction, electricity, mechanics, agriculture, healthcare and nursing.
This year, MOLISA expects to sign a co-operation deal with Germany’s employment agency on the reception of skilled workers in areas the country has high demand for.
Even though we have surpassed the targets for the last four years, but Việt Nam still only set a target of sending 130,000 guests workers in 2020 to markets that promised high and stable incomes, said MOLISA Minister Đào Ngọc Dung, adding that being able to work in German would open up opportunities for the entire European market.
He has ordered the Overseas Labour Department to keep a close watch on the situations in the Middle East, given recent escalating developments, and asked firms to take protective measures – including evacuation – for labourers when needed. — VNS