A job seeker is given advice at the employment service centre of the Thai Binh provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam sent more than 35,900 labourers to work abroad under contracts in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

Japan and Taiwan (China) continued to be the largest recipients of Vietnamese guest workers. Other markets included the Republic of Korea (RoK), China, Singapore, Romania, Thailand, Macau (China), Saudi Arabia and Hungary.

Last year, over 159,000 workers went abroad for employments, surpassing the yearly target by 33.3%, and the highest figure recorded over the past ten years.

Over the past time, the MoLISA has worked to send more labourers overseas under non-profit programmes as well as provide recruitment and related information for workers, especially those in communes with extreme difficulties. Besides, the ministry has promoted negotiations with its partners such as the RoK, Germany and Australia to expand markets in the coming time.

In 2024, the MoLISA aims to bring 125,000 workers abroad, focusing on key traditional markets such as Japan, Taiwan (China) and the RoK. The ministry eyes to have 120,000-143,000 people working in foreign countries every year, who send home total remittances of around 3.5-4 billion USD.

Most recently, the Government issued a plan to carry out a directive of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat on enhancing the Party’s leadership on sending workers overseas in the new situation.

Along with building strategies to bring Vietnamese labourers to work in foreign countries, the plan outlines solutions to raising awareness on law observance as well as coordination mechanisms to handle worker-related issues.