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Gloomy forecast for labour export in 2009
Under the influence of the global economic crisis, Vietnam’s labour exports in 2009 are expected to be poor.
Partners seek cancellation
The General Director of the Advancement International JS Company (AIC), Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, said some foreign partners, mainly those in Taiwan and Malaysia, have stopped receiving workers though they signed contracts with AIC.
“Around 200 workers may have to come home before their contracts expire and AIC is seeking to protect their interests,” Nhan said.
Other labour-export companies are in the same difficult situation. New orders for manpower began to fall. Some companies have recruited enough workers under foreign partners’ requests but the foreign partners have asked to delay receiving workers.
For those who are working abroad, they can’t seek extra jobs. Nguyen Dang Hung, a worker in South Korea, complained: “We still have jobs but our income has fallen by a half. In the past I could exchange 1 million won for $1,000 but now it is 1.5 million won.”
More clear impacts
The Chief of the Vietnamese Worker Management Board in Malaysia, Vu Dinh Toan, said not only small- and medium-size but also big plants in Malaysia have been hit by the global crisis and this has affected Vietnamese workers. Recently, the Sharp electronic plant (employs 170 Vietnamese workers) announced it was laying off some workers.
The impacts on Vietnamese workers in Taiwan are clearer. The Chief of the Vietnamese Worker Management Board in Taiwan, Nguyen Ba Hai, said some Vietnamese workers have lost their jobs. Some others have had to work part-time. “There is no official statistic but around 200 Vietnamese workers will have to come home before their contracts expire,” Hai said.
He said the electronic industry is being hit the most heavily because these products are mainly exported to the US and Japan, the two countries suffering the most serious economic regression (around 30% of the total 81,000 Vietnamese workers in Taiwan work in this industry).
The South Korean and Japanese markets are in a similar situation. Some Japanese employers have stopped receiving Vietnamese workers, particularly electronic companies. Some Vietnamese experts in Japan have also had to return home. Some labourers in Qatar and Singapore are also reportedly returning home.
Which markets are available?
According to officials of the Overseas Labour Management Agency, Vietnam will mainly send technical workers and experts abroad.
Potential and familiar markets like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will still be the major ones next year. This year Vietnam sent over 6,000 workers to Japan and next year it will try to send 10,000 workers to this market.
The Middle East is expected to be a great opportunity for Vietnamese manpower exporters. The General Director of the Air Service JS Company (Airseco), Nguyen Xuan Vui, said Airseco has received an order for over 5,000 workers in 2009, mainly skilled ones.
Vui said the advantage of the Middle East market is that Vietnamese workers can earn stable income, around VND7-9 million ($410-530) per month. They don’t have to pay a lot of expenses and are exempted from accommodations, food, travelling expenses and don’t have to pay taxes.
The Managing Director of the Viet Thang International Development JS Company, Hoang Phu Lam, agreed with Vui, saying that employers in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia still need large numbers of builders, mechanical engineering workers, welders and home assistants. Lam said the opportunities are big but Vietnamese labour exporters have to pay proper attention to labour training.
The Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thanh Hoa, said the Ministry will have specific plans for each market. The Ministry has told the Overseas Labour Management Agency to check the situation of Vietnamese labourers, especially in the seven key markets of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, Qatar, and the UAE to have suitable plans.
Lao Dong
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