However, according to the management agency, this was mainly due to fluctuations in the international labour market, while demand for labour reception in many key markets remained stable.
This requires continued efforts to improve the quality of human resources, complete institutions, and expand job markets that offer higher incomes and better working conditions for Vietnamese workers.
A temporary decline
According to a report by the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in the first six months of 2026, Viet Nam sent 66,311 workers abroad under contracts, reaching 59.2% of the annual plan, down 8,380 people and equivalent to 11.22% compared with the same period in 2025.
In the structure of receiving markets, Japan has continued to take the lead with 31,560 workers, followed by Taiwan (China) with 27,777 workers, the Republic of Korea with 5,650 workers, China with 1,478 workers, Singapore with 625 workers, and Romania with 292 workers.
Non-profit programmes implemented by the Centre of Overseas Labour alone sent 3,034 workers abroad. Of these, the EPS Programme sent 2,878 workers to the Republic of Korea, while the IM Japan Programme sent 137 trainees to Japan.
Alongside dispatch activities, efforts to create a labour source continued to be maintained. The Centre of Overseas Labour coordinated the organisation of Korean language tests for more than 1,500 workers, conducted preliminary screening of 520 applications in root industry occupations under the EPS Programme, and organised four recruitment rounds for 227 candidates participating in the IM Japan Programme, 130 of whom were admitted to official training.
Explaining the decline in the number of workers going abroad in the first half of this year, Vu Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Department of Overseas Labour, said: “Traditional markets have reduced labour recruitment. This is not only happening to Vietnamese workers but is also a challenge facing many other countries in the region.”
According to the management agency, the decline stems from many objective causes. Political instability and conflicts in several regions of the world have altered global labour migration flows. In addition, the slow recovery of the world economy has made many foreign businesses more cautious in their plans to expand production and recruit personnel.
Analysing the context in greater detail, Deputy Director Vu Truong Giang said: “People from countries facing political instability are migrating into key labour markets, so enterprises have reduced recruitment. In addition, economic difficulties have also prompted enterprises to scale down production and reduce hiring.”
For the Japanese market, the depreciation of the yen in recent times has also significantly affected workers’ decisions. As converted income has fallen compared with before, the appeal of this market has been affected to some extent. Meanwhile, the domestic labour market is showing many positive signs, with many enterprises willing to pay salaries of 20-30 million VND per month for skilled workers, creating more job options for workers right in their homeland.
However, the short-term decline in numbers does not mean that overseas job opportunities are narrowing. On the contrary, it is a sign that the international labour market is entering a more competitive stage, requiring human resources with higher occupational skills, foreign language proficiency, and professional skills than before.
Improving labour quality, expanding potential markets
In response to changes in the international labour market, the Department of Overseas Labour has identified its key objective for the last six months of the year as completing the target of sending 112,000 Vietnamese workers abroad under contracts and striving to reach 150,000 workers as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
To achieve this goal, the top priority is to continue completing institutions and policies. The department will focus on developing a law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad under Contracts, while studying and proposing the development of a Strategy on Sending Vietnamese Workers Abroad until 2030, with a vision to 2045.
Together with completing the legal framework, international cooperation will be strengthened to create more job opportunities for workers. Under the plan, Viet Nam will continue to negotiate and implement labour cooperation agreements with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Canada, Australia, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Taiwan (China), and the IM Japan Programme.
In the orientation for market development, traditional markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan (China) continue to be identified as key areas that need to be maintained stably. At the same time, the management agency will focus on tapping markets with high incomes, good working conditions, and long-term labour demand, such as Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, and several other European countries.
One fundamental solution identified is to improve the quality of human resources. Accordingly, vocational training, foreign language training, and orientation education will be renewed in a way that is more closely linked to the actual needs of receiving enterprises. The goal is not only to increase the number of workers leaving the country but also to improve the quality of jobs, incomes, and career development prospects for workers after they go abroad to work.
In addition, state management will continue to be tightened. The Department of Overseas Labour will strengthen inspections and examinations of service enterprises; strictly handle acts of overcharging, illegal brokerage or taking advantage of worker demand to work abroad for profiteering. At the same time, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of workers continues to be identified as a consistent requirement throughout the entire process of recruitment, training, and dispatch.
Administrative reform and digital transformation are also among the important directions. Since mid-June, the ColabContract system has been put into operation, allowing electronic signing of contracts for sending workers abroad, deposit contracts, and contract liquidation minutes. This is considered an important step in modernising management work and reducing costs and time for people and enterprises in carrying out procedures.
Practice shows that workers going abroad not only help create jobs and improve incomes, but also contribute to forming a workforce with skills, industrial working style, and international working experience after returning home. Amid rapid changes in the global labour market, shifting from the goal of growth in quantity to improving the quality of the workforce is seen as an appropriate direction, creating a foundation for the sustainable development of activities to send Vietnamese workers abroad in the years ahead.
