Labour migration in Viet Nam

Future migrant workers have a Korean language lesson before their departure.

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A total of 80,000 Vietnamese leave the country for jobs overseas each year. Approximately 400,000 Vietnamese workers are now present in over 40 countries and territories worldwide. The annual inflows of remittances by labour migrant have reached about US$2 billion in recent years, showing the economic significance of labour migration.

Unfortunately, there are also significant problems associated with labour migration: the violation of rights of workers by employers, breach of contracts and desertion by the workers, illegal networks of recruitment, and, most significantly, violation of government regulations on recruitment procedures.

The ILO is working with the governments, workers’ and employers' organizations, and other partners to create decent jobs for migrant workers and make migration an instrument for development.

The ILO focuses our efforts on raising awareness and capacity development to assist the government to formulate and implement a gender-responsive programme for managing labour migration so as to maximize benefits to the migrant workers, their families and the country. The key actions will include the technical support to develop sub-laws and amend other relevant policies and laws in line with international standards to facilitate implementation of the Law on Contract-Based Overseas Workers. Secondly, technical measures are established to better protect migrant workers including pre-departure training and information campaigns for safe migration and rights awareness and regulating recruitment practices (including monitoring a code of conduct for recruitment agencies).