Targeting multiple potential markets
DOLAB Director Tong Hai Nam shared that in 2025, the agency will coordinate with relevant units to promote negotiations and sign international agreements on labour cooperation, creating a legal framework for sending workers abroad and protecting their legitimate rights.
Simultaneously, DOLAB will continue implementing comprehensive solutions to maintain stability in traditional key labour markets (Taiwan-China, Japan, Republic of Korea), gradually increase the number of Vietnamese workers in several European countries (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria), promote access to the US and Canadian markets, gradually develop the Australian market, and initiate entry into the New Zealand market in new occupations with stable employment and high income.
Commenting on recent overseas employment efforts, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan noted that sending workers abroad under contract helps solve employment issues, improves workers' lives, and trains Vietnamese labour forces in scientific-technological knowledge and industrial work habits.
Regarding plans for 2025, Deputy Minister Hoan revealed that in mid-January, Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding with Finland on cooperation regarding the dispatch of experts, skilled workers and seasonal workers to Finland. Next, Vietnam aims to sign agreements with Poland, Greece and others. Vietnam will also strengthen cooperation with Germany, including a Vietnamese-German labour forum, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations.
According to Nguyen Thanh Diep, Vietnamese Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this Middle Eastern market holds significant potential for Vietnamese workers. The embassy is coordinating with relevant agencies to implement various solutions to facilitate as many Vietnamese workers as possible in the UAE.
Initially, Vietnam plans to send 10,000 workers to the UAE, which has high demand for workers in high-tech fields, software, computing and so on. The UAE offers special benefits and very high salaries. High-skilled workers can earn up to 200,000 USD annually. Beyond salaries, skilled workers receive additional benefits related to healthcare, their children's education and housing. However, for general workers, such as construction workers, income is limited. Diep also mentioned that Vietnam is proposing that the UAE increase wages for general workers in the near future.
In addition to market expansion, the Vietnamese government is stepping up negotiations with many countries that host large numbers of Vietnamese workers to expand bilateral cooperation on social insurance. For instance, from July 1, 2025, Vietnamese workers in the Republic of Korea will accumulate insurance contribution periods for pension benefits upon returning home. This regulation, combined with the bilateral social insurance agreement between Vietnam and Korea, helps protect the interests of approximately 300,000 Vietnamese currently working in the East Asian country.
Vietnam’s 2014 Social Insurance Law requires Vietnamese workers employed abroad under contract and foreigners working in Vietnam with work permits to participate in mandatory social insurance. Meanwhile, Korea's National Pension Act stipulates that foreigners aged 18 to 60 must participate in the pension programme just like local citizens. This creates a "double contribution" situation, forcing Vietnamese workers in Korea to pay social insurance in both countries. To resolve this issue, the Vietnamese and Korean governments signed an agreement on social insurance. This is the first bilateral agreement implemented in Vietnam and Vietnam's first social insurance agreement with another country.
The regulations and principles in the agreement signed by the two governments relate to pension and death benefits under Vietnam's Social Insurance Law and Korea's National Pension Act, with commitment to equal treatment between Vietnamese and Korean workers when working in each other's territory, as with citizens of the host country in determining conditions for contribution, eligibility and payment of social insurance benefits.
The agreement creates favourable conditions for workers of both countries when working in each country, protecting social insurance benefits for workers of both countries. With provisions to avoid double social insurance contributions, workers who have already paid social insurance at a unit in Vietnam will not need to contribute in Korea, and vice versa. Additionally, workers from both countries will have their social insurance participation periods in Vietnam and Korea counted cumulatively.
This new policy not only helps protect the rights of Vietnamese workers but also provides a precedent for expanding the cooperation model to other countries with large numbers of Vietnamese workers.
Many opportunities but beware of fraud traps
According to Deputy Minister Hoan, market development has faced several challenges. Some new markets require high foreign language proficiency, especially European countries, like Germany and Austria, which demand B1 or B2 language levels. The Japanese market requires workers to achieve a certain level of Japanese proficiency.
Additionally, a small portion of workers abroad fail to comply with labour discipline, including in the Korean and Japanese markets. Therefore, the ministry directs businesses to carefully select and thoroughly train workers.
The door to overseas employment continues to widen in 2025. However, recent reality shows unfair competition among businesses, such as inaccurate information about jobs and wages, creating unrealistic expectations of high income among workers. On this issue, Hoan emphasised there are no simple jobs with short training periods and no language requirements that offer high salaries abroad.
The most troubling issue currently involves many businesses without licenses or worker dispatch authorisation still advertising recruitment, accepting applications, and even taking money from workers before failing to fulfil contracts and transferring them to other units. This causes market disruption, affects security and order, and increases costs for workers wishing to work abroad.
DOLAB reports that it has imposed administrative fines on many businesses for violations, mainly related to non-compliance with contract regulations and financial reporting requirements.
Meanwhile, according to labour experts, one of the major issues facing Vietnamese workers is a lack of professional qualifications and vocational skills. Despite working diligently, many workers still lack sufficient knowledge and skills to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of international labour markets. In fields requiring high skill levels such as engineering, information technology, and mechanics, the number of Vietnamese workers meeting these requirements remains small. This limits Vietnamese workers to general labour positions with lower income and fewer advancement opportunities.
Currently, about 450 businesses nationwide are licensed to send workers abroad. In the future, the number of licensed businesses may increase alongside the development of overseas labour markets.
