More than half of the exported labor force goes to Japan

At a press conference on June 20, Mr. Pham Viet Huong, Deputy Director of the Department of Overseas Labor Management under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, stated that Japan alone had received nearly 40,600 Vietnamese workers. Taiwan followed with over 27,300 workers, South Korea with more than 5,500, and China with 1,081 male workers. Canada accepted 39 workers as negotiations are still being promoted.

For over 30 years, Japan has been receiving Vietnamese workers in various industries for periods ranging from 3 to 5 years. A week ago, the two sides agreed to increase the number of nursing trainees, with 40 expected this year and 500 over the next five years. The new agreement expands recruitment groups and dispatch conditions as Japan seeks to increase the workforce in large hospitals.

Mr. Huong stated that in the coming time, the agency would seek new markets, expanding into Europe due to favorable working conditions and good income levels. Many countries are looking to receive workers, particularly in the agricultural sector.

This year, the EPS program for sending workers to South Korea reached a record number of nearly 45,000 registrations—three times the acceptance quota and the highest in its 20-year history. The Korean language proficiency test has been conducted in four provinces and cities—Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City—from early March to the end of June.

Currently, over 600,000 Vietnamese workers are employed in 50 countries and territories, sending home approximately $4 billion in foreign currency annually through official channels, excluding other remittance methods.