The Republic of Korea ’s resumption of recruiting foreign guest workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) Programme on Sept. 1, after a three-month halt due to the global economic recession, has created better conditions for Vietnam ’s labour exports.

At present, RoK businesses have a large demand for guest workers in the areas of shipbuilding, construction, agriculture and fisheries.

A recent visit to the RoK by the Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan from August 30 to September 3 was considered a positive move and will strengthen cooperation between the two countries in this field.

The RoK highly values the contribution made by the nearly 50,000 Vietnamese workers in the country, said RoK Labour Minister Lee Young-hee, adding that Vietnam now tops the list of the 15 countries that send workers to the RoK in line with the EPS Programme.

Vietnamese workers are praised for their hard-work, skills, intelligence, creativity, sense of responsibility and good relations with the host country.
To maintain and increase its share of the labour market in the RoK amidst increasingly stiff competition, Vietnam needs to draw up a long-term plan to improve the quality of its human resources, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Tien Van.

Started in 2004, the EPS Programme provides equal treatment for both native and migrant workers.

According to the Director of the MoLISA’s Overseas Labour Centre, which is responsible for recruiting workers for export, around 5,500 Vietnamese workers were sent to work in the RoK in the first eight months of this year./.