To improve the transparency of the programme to dispatching labourers overseas

The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) held a workshop in Hanoi on March 19, highlighting Vietnam's and Japan’s efforts to promote labour mobility between the two nations.

At the event, the Japanese side introduced Japan’s policy on migrant worker recruitment and a technical project being implemented by JICA and competent agencies of Vietnam to improve the transparency of the programme to dispatching labourers overseas.

According to First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy Ishii Chikahisa, Japan has great demand for workers in the fields of food and beverage production, construction, manufacturing, electronic information, automobile maintenance, and shipbuilding industry, among others.

He said Vietnamese workers have an important role to play in the Japanese economy, adding some 500,000 Vietnamese are working in Japan, increasing eight folds in ten years.

Although Vietnamese labourers are known for their industriousness, they need to join technical intern training to improve their language competence and vocational skills, he added.

Nagata Yuki from Japan’s department of immigration and residency management said that the Japanese government has submitted a new policy to receive foreign workers, including those from Vietnam, to the diet for approval.

When the policy takes effect, it will prioritise ensuring foreign workers’ rights and creating promotion opportunities for them, so that they will feel secure when living in the country, he said.

Meanwhile, JICA Vietnam Deputy Chief Kubo Yoshitomo said the new policy is significant to Japan, which is getting greyer, as it will help the country ease the labour shortage pressure for national development.

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia

On March 7 morning, in Canberra, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese announced the elevation of the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Australia.

A comprehensive strategic partnership aims to deepen cooperation between the two countries across fields such as climate change adaptation, energy transition, digital transformation, innovation, trade and investment, agriculture, defense, and education - training.

Previously, the two PMs witnessed the signing and exchange of 11 cooperation documents between the two countries in the areas of education - training; energy and mining; agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; science -technology and innovation; labour and employment; trade, investment, finance, and banking; defense and peacekeeping; and justice

The two sides have established an annual dialogue mechanism between trade ministers; agreed to strengthen monitoring of the impact of climate change on the marine environment; and turned digital transformation, science and technology cooperation, and innovation into a new pillar in bilateral relations.

Previously, on March 01st, 2024, Deputy Minister of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan and Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam signed the Implementation Plan of the MOU between the Government of Australia and the Government of Vietnam in support of Vietnamese citizens to work in Agriculture area in Australia. The Document was announced in the morning of March 07th in Canberra.

Vietnamese workers must be aged 21 and above, secure a minimum IELTS score of 4.0 or equivalent in English proficiency, meet health requirements, and possess the skills and work experience required by Australian employers.

Vietnam sends nearly 13,000 workers abroad in March

According to Nguyễn Như Tuấn, deputy head of the Information and Communication Division, MoLISA’s Department of Overseas Labour, about 63,000 labourers are expected to be sent to Japan. Việt Nam will send about 48,000 workers to Taiwan and 8,500 to the RoK.

Việt Nam will prioritise sending workers to potential markets to take safe, relevant jobs that bring high incomes.

To realise the targets, the MoLISA will continue to improve the quality of workers sent abroad, and prioritise sending labourers from disadvantaged areas and policy beneficiaries overseas. The ministry plans to expand labour markets to countries offering high income and recruiting jobs that are relevant to Vietnamese workers’ skills, he said.

He said sending workers abroad is not simply about creating jobs and income for workers, eliminating hunger and reducing poverty, but also a way to train and develop human resources for the country in the future.

In 2023, Việt Nam sent more than 159,000 workers abroad under contracts, reaching 133.3 per cent of the yearly plan.

This is the highest number of Vietnamese labourers working abroad in more than 10 years.

Key traditional markets continued to receive a large number of Vietnamese labourers, with Japan receiving more than 80,000 workers; Taiwan (China), more than 58,000 workers, and the RoK welcoming more than 11,000 workers.