Viet Nam sends over 72,000 laborers overseas in first half

The Department of Overseas Labor under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs reported that during the January-June period, Japan was the biggest recipient of Vietnamese guest workers (34,508), followed by Chinese Taipei (31,538), South Korea (1,608), and China (902).

Other major manpower importers included Singapore (727 workers), Hungary (712) and Romania (469).  

In June alone, 12,649 laborers were sent abroad.

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

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

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

In South Korea, 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.

Viet Nam expects to send 10,000 workers to South Korea this year under the Employment Permit System (EPS) Program. Currently, there are more than 33,500 Vietnamese workers in Northeast Asian country under the EPS Program.

Vietnamese workers are now present in over 40 countries and territories worldwide.

In 2023, the Southeast Asian country targets to send 110,000 workers abroad under labor contracts, focusing on traditional markets and new occupations with higher pay in Europe, said the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs./.