Sending Vietnamese skilled workers to Europe faces obstacles

There are few skilled Vietnamese guest workers in Europe in recent years, according to deputy head of the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Gia Liem.
Sending Vietnamese skilled workers to Europe faces obstacles ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: baodautu.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – There are few skilledVietnamese guest workers in Europe in recent years, according to deputy head of the Department of Overseas Labour under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Gia Liem.

Liem said Vietnamese guest workers in Europe mostly perform manual jobsin the fields of industrial production, construction, food processing, appareland agriculture. Their contracts often last two years which could be extended. Afterhaving their contracts expired, they could stay there if landing new legal jobs.

Meanwhile, more job opportunities with high pay are available for skilled workers, but few Vietnamese workers have access to them.

Liem explained that the legal documentation for recruitment and procedures to send workersabroad often requires a significant amount of preparation time due to differentcustoms, cultures and legal regulations among various countries. Some countries such as Poland and Slovakia have strict requirements in issuing work visas, resulting in lengthy waiting period.

Besides, the cost ofliving in many European countries is relatively high, posing difficulties in hiring on-site labour management. The cold winter in a majority of European countries also limits the diversity of employment options forworkers.

Vietnameseworkers seeking employment in Europe will have to compete with those from othercountries within the region, as well as with those from developing nations withsimilar skill levels from different continents. Cultural differences also posebarriers during their working and integration process.
Sending Vietnamese skilled workers to Europe faces obstacles ảnh 2Vietnamese workers sit for a foreign language exam before going abroad (Photo: laodong.vn)

In several recent years, some European countries received Vietnamese workers because native workers migrated to more developed nations in Europe for employment, but when the developed economies face problems such as epidemics or crisis, they could return andreclaim job opportunities previously occupied by foreign workers,including those from Vietnam, Liem added.

Tran ManhThang, General Director of the GHW Hanoi JSC, said many European countries arenot inclined to accept unskilled labour from foreign countries. However, theyare willing to offer salaries and provide free training lasting 2-3 years to train skilled workers according to their training standards.

DeputyDirector General of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET)Nguyen Thi Viet Huong affirmed that DVET will identify specific labour demandconcerning profession, scale and competency requirements at various levels in Europeancountries, thereby developing a training plan to meet requirements ofeach nation.

Itwill also enhance coordination among relevant agencies and units to promotelegal labour migration./. 
VNA

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