VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) is considering abolishing 3 percent cap on foreign workers employed at Vietnamese enterprises in its new draft decree on foreign workers, which will be presented to the Government later this month.

MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hoa said that the draft will replace Decree No. 105 issued in 2003 in accordance with Vietnam’s commitments to the World Trade Organisation and the Investment Law.

The decree also puts forward solutions to tighten the management of labour quality by licensing only talented foreign workers to work at positions where local workers fail to meet the requirements.

Each foreign-invested business will now only be permitted to employ only one foreign manager, one managing director and one expert.

According to the ministry, it is necessary to have foreign workers make up the shortage of skilled workers in the country in the current context.

In fact, foreign workers coming to Vietnam have been on the increase. According to last year’s reports from provincial Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Departments and 20 management boards of industrial zones and export processing zones, more than 34,000 foreign workers were employed in the country, a 61 percent increase over 2005. Of the total, 31.8 percent are managers and 41.2 percent are technical experts.

The implementation of Vietnam’s WTO commitments will directly impact the country’s labour market as foreigners moving inside businesses and foreigners providing services under the contracts are allowed to work in Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, MoLISA Deputy Minister Le Bach Hong said that the limit of foreign workers was aimed at preventing the influx of ordinary foreign workers into the country under bidding contracts as the country boasts an abundant labour force.

However, ministry officials also warned that domestic training establishments to improve the training quality in order to turn out skilled labourers for the domestic market.

(Source: VNA)