Hai Duong exerts efforts to retain RoK labor export market

Employees of the Center for Employment Services and Vocational Education inform registrants for work in the RoK about legal provisions

The Republic of Korea (RoK) is Hai Duong's second largest labor export market after Japan but home to the largest number of illegal Hai Duong workers. Hence, synchronous and drastic measures are needed so as not to lose this labor market.

Many workers decided to stay in the RoK after contract expiry for many times higher income than in Vietnam.

It is also difficult for those returning home to go back to the RoK for work since passing the Korean language exam is not easy…

These are some reasons why there remain a lot of illegal Hai Duong workers in the RoK. 

About 700 Hai Duong laborers had not returned home after contract expiry by the end of 2021, according to incomplete statistics of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affair (LISA).

The figure slightly decreased in 2022. 

Chi Linh city is the only locality in the province having to stop sending workers to the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2023 because more than 70 laborers from the city are illegally residing in the country.

The return of illegal workers from the RoK plays an important role in building reputation and maintaining this large labor market, said Director of the LISA Department Bui Thanh Tung

The basic solution for workers to return home instead of illegally residing in the RoK is to create good jobs for them at home (illustrative image)

The department equipped more than 300 commune LISA officials with skills and legal knowledge on sending workers abroad in 2022.

It has also worked with 24 companies and facilities taking laborers abroad, including the RoK.

“These meetings helped our department better grasp and monitor the observance of the law by guest workers,” said Tung.

The number of illegal workers from Quang Minh commune, Gia Loc district, has recently declined significantly thanks to good mobilization of grassroots officials, said Chairman of the commune People's Committee Nguyen Huu Bien.

Illegal residence may result in unfortunate consequences in case of deportation or industrial accident. Thus, the thorough involvement of commune authorities is one of effective measures for localities not to be banned from sending workers to the RoK.

Nguyen Thi Dung, a LISA official in Tan Dan ward, Chi Linh city, suggested that the LISA Ministry regularly send a list of laborers who do not return home on time to their localities for better management of laborers working abroad, not only the RoK.

“In fact, many workers who have returned home are still on the LISA Ministry’s list, which is not fair,” said Dung.

The provincial authorities should also consider promulgating a regulation requiring laborers to report their departure and return to local authorities for better monitoring of residents as well as guest workers.

THANH ANH