The number of foreign workers in Viet Nam is increasing and they are enjoying higher pay. Illustrative Photo

The information was released by recruitment company Navigos Group in a report titled ‘Foreign Candidates: Expectations and Challenges when Working in Viet Nam’. The report is based on a survey of foreigners from various continents and working in different areas.

The survey shows that 30 per cent of foreign labourers said they would choose Viet Nam to work in Southeast Asia, followed by Singapore (24 per cent), Thailand (17 per cent) and Malaysia (8 per cent). According to the survey respondents, the three best things about working in Viet Nam are experiences in work and life, higher income compared to their current country of residence, and lower living costs.

In the report, Navigos points out that Viet Nam is an ideal destination for numerous FDI businesses because of its rapidly developing economy, favourable geographical condition, stable politics and free trade policies. Nevertheless, the domestic human resources fail to meet rising demand in many new areas, both in quantity and quality. Recruitment requirement will continue to rise above 20 per cent in each of the coming years, especially in areas with high demand for human resources such as professional services, business and marketing and software development.

Deputy head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Department of Employment, Le Quang Trung, said the number of expats coming to work in Viet Nam is increasing. By July 2019, Viet Nam was home to 91,200 foreign workers, including some 80,000 who have been granted a work permit by Vietnamese authorities. They come from more than 100 countries and territories and are enjoying higher wages than Vietnamese labourers. According to Trung, foreign workers are paid more because they mostly work in new areas and occupations in which Vietnamese labourers are not qualified enough to meet the demand.

Trung said under the context of free labour movement, Vietnamese labourers must always sharpen their skills, expertise, and qualifications to “not lose” on home ground./.