With its traditional labour export markets growing steadily, Vietnam is expected to fulfill this year's target, says Dao Cong Hai Deputy Head of the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB).

In the first half of this year, it sent more than 40,000 Vietnamese guest workers abroad, with 10,000 to Taiwan, 5,000 to the Republic of Korea, 4,000 to Malaysia, 3,000 to Japan, and 20,000 to the Middle East and North African markets.

Illustrative photo - Source: VOVNews

However, these figures showed a decline compared to the same period last year and were still below 50 percent of the yearly target for 90,000 guest workers.

The decline was, in part, attributed to the impact of the world economic recession, political instability in the Middle East and North Africa, and the European debt crisis.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) predicts that the continuing global employment crisis until the end of this year will pose challenges to the labour export situation in Vietnam. Yet, with the Middle East market bouncing back and some potential markets opening up, there is high hope that Vietnam will be able to achieve its labour export target set for this year.

Hai says DOLAB’s programmes have been launched to support Vietnamese guest workers.

There is a growing demand for guest workers in the Middle East market, particularly in Libya which badly needs a large number of work-force from overseas to carry out key projects in the post-unrest period of national reconstruction.

DOLAB recently allowed some Vietnamese businesses to send 20 guest workers to Libya under long-term labour contracts. It has developed a plan to bring a large number of Vietnamese workers to this North African nation, including those who had to return home ahead of schedule in early 2011 as a consequence of the political instability there.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian market is also in need of hundreds of thousands of workers in mechanical manufacturing, construction, agriculture, housework and services.

Approximately 140 Vietnamese businesses have got permission to send workers to Malaysia and more than 200,000 are already working there.

They are appreciated for their diligence, good ability to meet working conditions and efforts to integrate into the community in the country of residence.

On account of its urgent need for semi-skilled workforce and its low cost of living, Malaysia is considered suitable for Vietnamese rural workers with average incomes.

Labour exports in the second half of this year are promising as 4,000 Vietnamese labourers are going to work in Japan as apprentices and nurses under a cooperation agreement recently signed by JITCO (Japan International Training Cooperation Organization) and DOLAB.

The bottom line is that Vietnam needs to improve the quality of its workforce and make an approach to other developed markets in the near future.

DOLAB has cooperated closely with businesses in expanding its labour exports to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Sweden and Russia./.