South Korea - Vietnam's potential labor export market

Vietnamese workers under the EPS Program enter Korea at Incheon airport. Photo: Anh Nguyen/VNA

Immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic was gradually controlled, the promotion of cooperation and labor immigration was actively implemented by relevant units of both Vietnam and Korea.

According to the announcement of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, in 2023, South Korea plans to hire about 110,000 immigrant workers to work in industrial and agricultural production facilities.

However, sources from relevant industries said that the actual demand for labor recruitment is much higher to maintain business operations.

The labor shortage in Korea is caused by many factors, including an aging population; local workers refuse to work in manual labor, heavy labor, or agricultural labor, etc.

Faced with a serious labor shortage in the country, the Korean government has recently made efforts to implement many policies to attract foreign workers to protect the country's labor force.suresustainable development for the economy.

The Korean Foreign Manpower Policy Committee recently announced improvements to the Foreign Labor Employment Permit System (EPS Program) that Vietnam is participating in.

Accordingly, Korea actively revised regulations to promote the formation of skilled foreign human resources to serve the actual needs of enterprises; applied diverse methods of using foreign human resources to solve the labor shortage in remote areas and increased residential support to accelerate social adaptation for foreign human resources.

Grasping the needs of Korea, since mid-2022, relevant Vietnamese agencies have actively implemented training and support to accelerate the number of workers allowed to enter Korea.

In addition to continuing to promote the increase in the number of EPS workers entering the country, competent authorities of Vietnam continue to discuss with relevant units of Korea to loosen conditions for workers in the shipbuilding industry to enter Korea soon; promote cooperation with the Fisheries Association and domestic enterprises to effectively protect the rights and legitimate interests of fishing boat crew members as well as promote connection and support domestic localities to send workers to Korea under the seasonal labor program, especially localities that are promoting the signing of Memorandums of Cooperation.

In order to better support Vietnamese workers working in Korea, the Vietnam Labor Management Board in Korea continues to coordinate with the EPS Labor Management Office and Foreign Labor Support Centers to diversify methods of implementing propaganda, consulting, and supporting workers in appropriate forms (scheduled meetings at the center, local cultural and sports events and associations, large-scale propaganda to disseminate information and legal regulations.

As a result, in 2022, under the EPS program, Vietnam will have nearly 9,000 workers entering the country out of a total target of 70,000 for 16 participating sending countries.

Mr. Pham Minh Duc, Head of EPS Office in Korea, said that in 2023, Korea announced the target of granting permits to 110,000 workers from 16 countries. Vietnam aims to send 10,000 workers to Korea.

EPS Office will focus on coordinating with the Labor Management Board and the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea to organize reception and orientation lectures for all workers entering Korea.

Through this reception and lecture, workers will quickly integrate into life and work in Korea.

Continue to coordinate with Foreign Labor Support Centers in Korea to organize meetings, disseminate and propagate laws to workers.

Through these propaganda activities, workers will comply with Korean laws, fulfill their contracts well and return home on time when their contracts end, thereby reducing the number of illegal workers residing in Korea.

Along with that, EPS Office will continue to manage and support workers, especially those who encounter difficulties, contract conflicts, difficulties in life, and risks in life while working in Korea. Thereby, helping workers feel secure in stabilizing their lives and working in Korea.

In the first entry wave after the Lunar New Year 2023, the Overseas Labor Center organized 138 workers to enter Korea; organized 2 orientation training courses for 800 workers, received the records of nearly 6,000 workers who met the requirements of the Korean language test, tested and introduced them to Korean employers.

According to VNA