Only 500 businesses employing some 4,000 foreign workers submitted their mandatory foreign employment declarations in the first half of this year, a source told Tuoi Tre.

They accounted for some 12.5 percent of total firms hiring foreign employees in HCMC.

As a rule, local enterprises using foreign workers are responsible for filing their periodic reports on foreign employment situation twice a year, on every January 5 and July 5.

However, more than 4,000 businesses employing more than 10,000 foreign workers have failed in submitting the declarations, making up 87.5 percent of the total.

HCMC Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has received only a few new submissions on the situation, though it has announced the extension for the H1/2012 submission until August 15, 2012.

Under the current regulations, enterprises will be fined VND20-30 million ($960-1,440) if they fail in reporting the employment of foreign laborers, said an inspector of the department.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs early last week asked local governments and its municipal arms to launch overall inspections on foreign employment situation in their localities and strengthen the management of those laborers.

In particular, local state agencies should pay attention to foreigners who are doing business, running private medical clinics, operating educational jobs, and farming/buying seafood, said the 2761/LDTBXH-VL document from the ministry.