Hoang Kim Ngoc, Deputy Head of the Overseas Labour Management Department (OLMD) under the Ministry of Labour: relevant agencies need to coordinate efforts

The Prime Minister’s decision 71 insists on sending around 10,000 workers abroad in the 2009-2010 period. However, it seems difficult to achieve this target due to a number of reasons. First, the local people’s awareness is not high. Second, many local authorities are not actively involved in the programme. Third, the allocation of resources to the programme hits snags here and there.

Some training courses are way off target. As most of ethnic minority trainees are not used to living far from their families and relatives so they often quit the programme for lack of adequate information about the benefit of working abroad. In addition, there is no coordination between businesses and local authorities. For instance, when labourers left their workplace businesses did not inform local authorities as they considered it normal. In some cases, some businesses did inform local authorities but nothing was done to solve the problem.

Labour export is quite new for many localities. The OLMD is working with localities to review the initial results of project. After that, the department will draw up specific plans for each poor district. If State management agencies, businesses and local authorities are ahead of the game things will be getting better.

Trinh Quang Chinh, Director of the Lao Cai provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs: creating the best condition for workers.

Nearly 200 workers in Bac Ha, Muong Khuong, and Si Ma Cai districts in Lao Cai province have been sent abroad according to the Prime Minister’s decision 71. Many of them have sent money back home to help their families. Many other workers will be sent in the near future. Decision 71 is humanitarian as it helps many poor people escape poverty. Poor guest workers not only send money to help their families but also learn advanced working methods to guide their neighbours when they return home.

All local authorities, and many organisations such as the Fatherland Front, Youth Union, Farmers’ Association, and War Veterans’ Association in the province have actively engaged in the project.

Some workers who have registered to participate in the project quit training because they are afraid of living in a strange country. Therefore, all relevant agencies should create the best conditions for local people to work abroad, such as helping them do procedures and providing loans.

Nguyen Ngoc Hoan: Director of the Vocational Training and Labour Export Company: seeking new markets in line with workers’ capacity

Sending workers abroad has many problems, such as the limited qualifications of ethnic minority people. Many of them cannot speak Kinh language fluently so they find difficult to access information. In remote areas, some villages are 100km away from district, causing a number of difficulties for businesses to access workers as well as to disseminate information about the project to them. Travel allowance for trainees is also a problem. Currently, each trainee is financed to visit their home one time but distances  are so far.

The company hopes to find markets with high income for workers. Therefore, it will try to provide better training for them in order to get good jobs. It will strengthen cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the OLMD, the Labour Export Association and other businesses to seek new markets in line with workers’ capacity.