Vietnam sent 132,802 labourers to work abroad in the first 11 months of 2019, according to the Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply (VAMAS).

Japan was the largest market for Vietnamese workers in the period, accounting for 71,156, an increase of 16.64 percent from the same period last year. Taiwan (China) followed with 49,980 workers, down 12.72 percent. The Republic of Korea came next with 6,940.

European nations received 1,693 labourers in the reviewed period, up 2.23 percent year-on-year and making up 1.27 percent of the total.

The number of Vietnamese guest workers sent to countries in the Middle East accounted for only 1.05 percent of the total, with Saudi Arabia receiving highest number of 1,101 people.

From January-November, only 584 people went to work in other Southeast Asian nations, down 0.44 percent compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, 350 people were sent to North Africa, equivalent to 0.26 percent.

According to Nguyen Gia Liem, Deputy Director General of the Department of Overseas Labour Management, enterprises providing labour export services should pay more attention to improving the quality of guest workers.

Many legal regulations related to vocational training and foreign language skills will be adjusted to boost the quality of labourers, Liem said.