In addition to traditional labor export markets such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, Vietnamese labor has begun making inroads in Greece, France, Hungary, Spain, Finland, and Australia.

The Vietnamese and Australian governments signed a memorandum of understanding in agriculture cooperation early this year which involved some 1,000 Vietnamese laborers to be recruited for work in Australia, Pham Viet Huong, deputy head of the Department of Overseas Labor, said at a workshop hosted by Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper on Wednesday.

The Department of Overseas Labor has announced criteria for enterprises wishing to participate in the program and has so far received applications from 33 businesses.

The department has sent dossiers of 15 firms to Australia and six of them will be chosen, Huong informed.

Vietnam is negotiating labor cooperation agreements with Greece, France, Finland, Poland, and Spain.

Its traditional markets are also looking for employees for new sectors, specifically aircraft engineers in South Korea and railway engineers in Japan.

The move is expected to create favorable conditions for laborers to get better jobs.

However, enterprises currently face difficulties in identifying appropriate candidates.

“I returned from a business trip to Japan where many enterprises complained about difficulties in finding laborers, so they have had to turn to the Philippines, Myanmar, and Indonesia,” said Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan.

He noted that more than 450 Vietnamese companies had been licensed to send workers abroad and that the number is expected to increase to over 500.

As of November this year, approximately 700,000 Vietnamese workers were employed overseas, spanning 30 industries in more than 40 countries and territories.

Deputy Minister Hoan expressed concern about the illegal activities of numerous organizations involved in facilitating overseas employment.

These unauthorized labor brokerage centers often charge exorbitant fees, placing significant financial strain on workers.

Some companies which are not licensed to export laborers have looked for candidates and transferred them to labor export companies for VND10-20 million (US$392-785) each, said Duong Thi Thu Cuc, general director of Saigon International Group.

Deputy Minister Hoan insisted on eliminating illegal activities and unhealthy competition in the labor export sector.

He suggested ensuring that workers with strong language skills, professional expertise, and a disciplined mindset are placed in favorable work environments where they can enjoy appropriate benefits.

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