Remittances from Vietnamese migrant workers reach US$4 billion annually

Nguyen Gia Liem, deputy director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs told a recent workshop on ensuring the rights of Vietnamese migrant workers" that sending guest workers abroad has contributed to creating jobs whilst also improving the lives of both workers and their families.

Liem also revealed that Vietnamese migrant workers mainly operate in fields such as construction, manufacturing, nursing, cleaning, agriculture, and fisheries, with the majority going to markets such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China), the Middle East, and Malaysia.

Most notably, the number of Vietnamese labourers working abroad has steadily increased each year, especially over the last five years which has seen an annual rise of approximately 10,000 people.

He went on to reveal that the department has initiated plans to send roughly 90,000 Vietnamese workers abroad in 2021, with between 120,000 and 150,000 workers a year in the future.

In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to continue building and fine-tuning the legal system regarding migrant workers, while stepping up international cooperation by stabilizing and developing traditional overseas labour markets with a  major focus on  jobs that ensure good working conditions, safety and high income for employees,  Liem emphasized.