VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam is shifting its labour export activities to European markets rather than relying on traditional Asian markets, in order to create more job opportunities for local workers.

Experts claim that the quality of workers poses a huge challenge to Vietnam’s labour export activities.

A series of labour cooperation documents have been signed by Vietnam and Russia and by Vietnam and Slovakia during the past two months, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (Molisa) said, adding that later this month, it plans to visit Poland to conduct research into the market.

Eastern European countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia have huge demands for overseas workers and this represents an excellent opportunity for Vietnamese workers, said Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, director of Molisa’s Overseas Labour Management Department.

Quynh’s view was supported by Nguyen Huy Tung from the Tourism, Trade and Labour Export Joint Stock Company (TTLC), who said the European Union’s policy of allowing free travel between member countries has made it possible for Polish and Czech workers to move to Western European countries to seek jobs with higher wages, resulting in a serious shortage of workers in these countries.

The Air Service and Trading Joint Stock Company (Airseco) has recently received orders for thousands of workers from Poland . Airseco General Director Nguyen Xuan Vui said the Eastern European market, which offers foreign workers a monthly wage ranging between 500 USD and 1,000 USD, is no less attractive than the US, Canadian and Australian markets.

At a recent working session with Molisa, Deputy Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Voltech Filip said his country would not place any limits on workers from Vietnam.

However, experts claim that the quality of workers poses a huge challenge to Vietnam’s labour export activities. In addition, Europe’s move to tighten control of the granting of visas to foreigners also represents a hindrance for the Vietnamese labour export market.

As well as requesting Molisa to increase its promotional activities in these markets, many labour export businesses have actively organised training courses that meet international standards to help Vietnamese workers better meet the requirements of foreign employers and recruitment agencies.

(Source: VNA)