Vietnam Manpower Blog

 The monthly income of Vietnamese workers in South Korea ranges from 1,600 to 2,000 USD, while in traditional markets like Malaysia, it is around 400 to 600 USD. The Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 , published by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the end of October, provides income statistics from key labor markets where Vietnamese workers are employed. Workers in South Korea earn the highest wages, ranging from 1,600 to 2,000 USD, followed by Japan with 1,200 to 1,500 USD, Taiwan with 800 to 1,200 USD, and some European countries offering similar rates. The Middle East and Malaysia report lower wages, approximately 600 to 1,000 USD for skilled workers and 400 to 600 USD per month for unskilled workers. Vietnamese workers participating in the EPS program exam for employment in South Korea in 2023. Photo: Ngọc Thành The majority of receiving markets offer minimum wages much higher than in Vietnam. In 2022, the minimum wage in major labor markets like Japan...

 Each year, around 7,000 workers return to Vietnam from Japan and South Korea, with many achieving entrepreneurial success, while others struggle to adapt to the domestic job market. At the job fair for returnees held on November 8, Mr. Đặng Huy Hồng, Director of the Overseas Labor Center under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, shared that over the past 20 years, nearly 150,000 workers have gone abroad for employment, including 140,000 to South Korea under the EPS Program and 9,000 to Japan under the IM Japan Program. Mr. Hồng considered this a potential workforce resource, with many returnees possessing language skills, technical expertise, financial stability, and serving as cultural bridges between Vietnam and foreign countries. While there are no official statistics on how many returnees secure jobs after coming back, many have successfully found employment at Japanese and South Korean FDI companies through job connection events. Some have taken on managerial...

FDI companies are seeking laborers who have returned from South Korea for positions such as translators or machine operators, but language skills have become a barrier for many. At the job fair for workers returning from South Korea and Japan in Hanoi on November 8, Ms. Dương Hồng Vân, in charge of human resources at a company specializing in coating components in Thái Nguyên, was looking for candidates for three positions: translator, accountant, and production manager. After three hours of interviews, Ms. Vân found a suitable candidate for the accountant position, and was considering a production manager applicant who only had basic knowledge of Korean. As for the translator position, no one met the requirements, despite it being the most anticipated role before heading to Hanoi. The job required someone proficient in languages to teach Vietnamese to Korean employees and teach Korean to the office staff for communication with colleagues. The FDI company employs more than 1,000 worker...

Vietnamese labor for export is becoming increasingly scarce, with many Japanese labor unions complaining that they have to look for workers in other countries, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs. "The biggest obstacle for labor export companies now is selecting workers. Most companies report that it is very difficult," said Deputy Minister Nguyễn Bá Hoan at a seminar on improving the quality and effectiveness of labor export organized by Người Lao Động newspaper on December 18. According to Mr. Hoan, this situation contrasts with the past, when companies' main challenge was securing contracts with foreign partners. Nowadays, there are many contracts, but finding workers is extremely difficult. This is causing domestic companies to struggle in fulfilling their commitments with foreign partners. The Ministry has noted a decrease in the number of workers being sent by many large, established companies in the industry. The Ministry of Labor, Inv...

 The Overseas Labor Center is currently recruiting workers for Australia in the field of meat slaughtering and Halal meat processing, offering a monthly salary of approximately 60 million VND. On December 23, the Overseas Labor Center (Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs) announced the recruitment of workers for a program based on a Memorandum of Understanding between Vietnam and Australia. This initiative aims to support Vietnamese workers in the agricultural sector in Australia. The first batch of recruitment is for 30 workers in the meat processing sector. The positions include 15 workers for Halal meat slaughtering, with the remaining 15 for meat processing roles. The contract will last for 4 years. The Australian company is particularly looking to hire 15 Muslim workers for Halal slaughtering roles, who will receive training according to Halal practices, while the other 15 positions will be for meat processing. Halal Standards : Halal refers to products or actions ...

10 years ago, my friends working in Japan earned 20-30 million VND per month as the norm, but now my cousin sends less than 10 million VND back to pay off his debts. "Last year, my cousin worked in an industrial park with a monthly salary of 12 million VND. He was persuaded by a recruiter to go to Japan, with an initial cost of 180 million VND. After arriving, the yen dropped in value, and after deducting living expenses, he could only send back 9 million VND a month to pay off the debt. Ten years ago, five of my friends went to Japan, some for labor export and others for studying abroad. Back then, hearing about their monthly salaries of 20-30 million VND was normal. Today, of the five, only one engineer remains in Japan. The others have gone to different countries: one to the UK, another to South Korea, and one to Germany. My friend, who went to Japan to study and later worked as a restaurant manager, eventually returned to Vietnam, now earning just 6 million VND per month. Acco...