Plenty of orders, not enough workers
Japan has long been one of the largest destinations for Vietnamese workers. In 2025, more than 64,600 Vietnamese went to work in the country. However, Japan has fallen to second place this year, behind Taiwan (China), in terms of the number of Vietnamese workers received.
According to the Department of Overseas Labour, 114,276 Vietnamese workers went abroad for employment in the first 10 months of 2026, equivalent to more than 102 per cent of the annual target. Taiwan (China) topped the list with 50,473 workers, followed by Japan with 45,658 and South Korea with 7,609.
Dinh Tat Loi, chairman of the board of Sona, said filling recruitment quotas had become a major challenge, particularly for unskilled positions. The problem had persisted since the beginning of the year, he said. The company has several agricultural job orders in Japan but has been unable to recruit enough workers despite months of efforts.
Loi attributed the difficulties partly to growing competition between domestic and overseas labour markets. In recent years, many Vietnamese companies, particularly large corporations, have stepped up recruitment for construction sites and projects, offering relatively attractive wages and benefits.
Workers therefore have more options at home and may no longer need to leave their families to seek employment abroad.
Meanwhile, earnings in some overseas labour markets have become less attractive. In Japan, Vietnamese workers can currently save around VND 20 million (USD 780) a month after paying for accommodation and living expenses. This no longer gives overseas employment a clear financial advantage over some jobs in Vietnam.
Companies scale back and cut staff
A representative of V.T. Human Resources JSC in Hoai Duc Commune, Hanoi, said the company was facing serious difficulties recruiting workers for Japan.
The main factors included the yen's depreciation, longer study and training requirements, and stricter demands from Japanese partners for workers to pass a Japanese-language test equivalent to level N5.
At the same time, better employment prospects and incomes in Vietnam have made workers more cautious about taking jobs overseas.
The construction sector has been hit hardest, the company representative said. Although Japanese partners continue to place a large number of orders, the company cannot recruit enough workers to meet demand. Some unskilled construction workers in Vietnam can now earn around VND 20 million a month.
“Under these circumstances, we have had to scale back operations and cut the number of teaching and recruitment staff by 50 per cent, as costs remain high while returns are very low,” the representative said.
Pham Dinh Loc, director of the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the domestic labour market was improving, with better incomes and employment opportunities. This had intensified competition for companies sending workers abroad, although demand among Vietnamese workers for overseas employment remained high.
For the Japanese market, Loc advised companies to work proactively with local authorities to provide information, counselling and recruitment services. They should also be transparent about working conditions, wages, costs and workers' entitlements, while choosing reputable overseas partners.
