>> Labour exports may miss target
Despite missing the mark last year, Vietnam’s labour exports are expected to rise in 2011.
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| Workers train for their jobs abroad |
Dao Cong Hai, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)’s Department of Overseas Labour, said that the shortcomings of 2010 could actually be a driving force for heightened labour exports in 2011.
Hai’s assessment is that the country’s labour exports are quite strong, as more and more foreign firms prefer Vietnamese workers. The Malaysian market is warming up, and shows increasing demand for Vietnamese labourers who come from poorer districts.
Vietnamese manual workers are also finding more opportunities in places like Lybia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where they can earn monthly salaries of between VND5 million and VND7 million (USD250-USD350). Last year these markets attracted over 5,000 Vietnamese labourers, while over 3,000 went to Macau.
South Korea also brings a lot of Vietnamese labourers, where they can earn a monthly income of VND17 million (USD850). There, workers are finding jobs in construction, fisheries, agriculture and manufacturing; so more men are attracted to this market. Women are more likely to find work in Taiwan or Malaysia, where there is a need in housekeeping and light manufacturing.
This year, Vietnam has set a target of sending 87,000 workers abroad. In order to meet this goal, extra labour training will be provided at 170 facilities nationwide. The department will also speed up a plan to build a vocational training centre in the central province of Thanh Hoa with the funding from the UAE.
Last year, Vietnam failed to meet its goal of sending 85,000 workers abroad, due to the effects of the global economic downturn, which had an adverse affect on demand for labour.
