Tong Hai Nam, director general of the Department of Overseas Labor under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the department has re-signed its agreement on labor cooperation with Thailand, researched and negotiated labor cooperation with Israel, and implemented labor cooperation agreements with South Korea, Japan and other countries.

The department said it is evaluating the pilot phase of bringing workers to European countries like Romania and Poland to promote development, and expand and stabilize the labor market. It is working to strengthen support for localities to send seasonal workers to South Korea and other nations.

Nam said more than 26,000 overseas workers have had their labor contracts expire, but are unable to return home due to the effects of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Overseas Labor Management Department has instructed relevant units to coordinate with Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad, partners, and employers to ensure the safety and legal rights of employees amid the global crisis, while they are waiting to return home.

At the same time, the department has also required 506 enterprises licensed to provide services to send workers abroad to review the number of employees set to return home due to the effects of the outbreak.

Since many countries issued regulations to restrict entry for foreign citizens due to Covid-19, there were 78,641 Vietnamese laborers working abroad in 2020, reaching 60.5 percent of the government target.