The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has sent letters to city and provincial People’s Committees to guide signing and implementing agreements with the Republic of Korean (RoK)’s localities on sending Vietnamese workers there for seasonal work.

Working as seasonally employed agricultural labourers in the RoK brings
high incomes to poor Vietnamese workers. Photo: baochinhphu.vn 

The jobs are mainly in farming. Employees will be provided with a meal a day and accommodation as per the signed agreements and regulations set by the Republic of Korea.

After three months of working, each employee will have an average income of VND80-VND100 million (US$3,500-US$4,300) after subtracting expenses.

The agreements on sending Vietnamese labourers to the RoK will be only signed by chairpersons of People’s Committee after consulting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The agreements must contain the scope of cooperation, executive agencies, selection criteria, the responsibilities of the parties and implementation time.

The agreements must also specify benefits for employees such as working time, leave, salary, insurance, the cost of training and retraining, and expenses for passports and visas.

Regarding recruitment, the MOLISA will prioritise  ethnic minorities, poor households, households that have lost agricultural land and relatives of people who contributed to the national revolution in the past.

The cost support will comply with current regulations on job creation and assistance for sending workers abroad under contracts.

Municipal and provincial authorities will decide measures of depositing, guaranteeing the performance of contracts, signing commitments with individuals and workers' families.

The authorities must agree with the receiving party on measures to restrict recruitment of employees whose relatives are living and working illegally in the RoK to ensure employees comply with contracts and return home when the contracts are terminated.

According to figures released by the MOLISA, as of mid-December 2019, six provinces and cities had signed cooperation agreements with Korean localities and sent workers to the country, including Da Nang city and Dong Thap, Thai Binh, Ha Nam, Binh Thuan and Ha Tinh provinces.

Dong Nai, Hau Giang, Kon Tum, Binh Dinh and Ha Giang provinces are in negotiations to send workers to the RoK, while Thua Thien-Hue, Dak Lak, Ca Mau, Nam Dinh and Cao Bang are seeking opportunities to send workers there as well.

According to reports from localities, 847 Vietnamese labourers have been sent to do seasonal work in the RoK since mid-December last year.

Selection and training were based on demands of Korean partners, Vietnamese authorities informed people and worked with Korean partners to select employees.

Currently, the demand for seasonal agricultural workers in the RoK is very high.

To meet that need, from December 24, 2019, the RoK began granting visas for seasonal workers with a working term of five months.