Over 7,000 Laborers Return Annually from Japan and South Korea

 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 roles, returned to South Korea or Japan as exemplary workers, or started their own businesses. However, some have faced difficulties in finding suitable employment due to mismatched salary expectations or skill levels.

Workers who previously worked in South Korea seek new job opportunities in Hanoi on November 8. 

Ms. Ngô Thị Út Luân, 38, who worked for many years in South Korea and is now a business owner in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that returnees often struggle to adapt both psychologically and to the wage expectations. Having worked in an environment with advanced machinery and technology, they find it difficult to adjust, as domestic companies may not have invested in modern technology and are unable to offer high salaries. This often leads to disappointment among returnees. "This is why many people return home and find themselves torn between looking for a new job or starting a business. Finding a new job is tough because it's hard to find something that fits, while starting a business requires capital and skills," she explained.

From her own experience, Ms. Luân encouraged workers abroad to learn the local language to increase their opportunities to work with locals and build relationships, which can help them find jobs or start businesses upon returning to Vietnam. While in South Korea, she made use of every opportunity to learn the language, later returning to the country for a managerial role, passing language exams, and eventually acquiring South Korean citizenship. However, she chose to return to Vietnam to establish her own business.

Ms. Luân also proposed that relevant authorities implement policies to support workers returning home after completing their contracts, such as vocational training programs, preferential loans, or financial support funds for starting businesses. She suggested creating a network of returnees with shared entrepreneurial goals to support one another.

The job fair on that day connected workers with 45 South Korean and Japanese FDI companies offering over 1,300 job positions. The demand was primarily for positions in production management, translation, interpretation, CNC technology, and electronics manufacturing. The required education levels were university, intermediate, and secondary school, with each category accounting for about 30% of the vacancies. Salaries over 15 million VND accounted for 15%, while 26% offered salaries between 10 to 15 million VND, and the remainder were below 10 million VND or based on mutual agreements between the employer and the employee.

As of the end of 2023, more than 650,000 Vietnamese workers are employed in over 40 countries and territories, sending back an estimated 3.5-4 billion USD in remittances each year. Workers in South Korea earn the highest income, ranging from 1,600-2,000 USD, followed by Japan with 1,200-1,500 USD, Taiwan with 800-1,200 USD, and several European countries offering similar pay. The Middle East and Malaysia markets report lower wages, ranging from 600-1,000 USD for skilled workers and 400-600 USD per month for unskilled workers.

Read More and update information about Vietnam Manpower: https://vietnammanpower.info.vn/