Vietnamese guest workers earn highest incomes in South Korea, Japan

According to the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 report released this week by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their incomes ranged from $800-1,200 in Taiwan and some European countries, and $400-1,000 in Malaysia and the Middle East.

Vietnamese workers choose to work abroad since the salaries are higher and jobs offer a better experience than at home, it said.

The minimum wage is 15 times higher in Australia and New Zealand than in Vietnam and seven to nine times in Japan and South Korea.

There are more than 650,000 Vietnamese guest workers in 40 countries and territories, and they send back $3.5-4 billion annually in remittances.

For the fifth year in a row last year, Japan had the largest number of Vietnamese workers. Other major destinations were South Korea and Taiwan, and there was significant growth in the numbers in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Hungary.

The report said 80% of Vietnamese guest workers were employed in labor-intensive jobs in textiles, footwear, construction, agriculture, fisheries, domestic work, elderly and patient care, and others.

A smaller segment of skilled workers, including managers and engineers, are abroad for better incomes and career development opportunities, it said.

Vietnamese unskilled workers are known for their hard work and adaptability, but the number overstaying their contracts and working illegally is high, and this hampers opportunities for people seeking to work abroad, it warned.

There are instances of Vietnamese workers suffering from unfair treatment, excessive working hours and unsafe working conditions, it added.

Le Hoang Ha, an official at the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs’ department of overseas labor management, said workers doing simple tasks are being replaced by robots and technologies in many developed countries.

To remain competitive, Vietnamese workers need to be trained in skills and languages, he added.