South Korea cuts Vietnamese worker quota

Countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are concerned that Vietnamese laborers plan to work illegally or remain in their countries beyond their work permits, so they have cut their quotas for Vietnamese laborers.

A Vietnamese laborer. Photo: VnExpress

According to the Overseas Labor Department under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, 10,000 Vietnamese laborers were allowed to work in South Korea back in 2012 under the Employment Permit System program, but due to the high rate of abscondence, so South Korea stopped the program.

South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accept a quota of 3,000 Vietnamese laborers in 2014 and 2015.

Among the 15 nations to sign the EPS program with South Korea, Vietnam has an abscondence rate of over 30 percent, while other countries register less than 20 percent. Seoul has asked Vietnam to reduce this percentage in order to keep the program running.

However, the rate of Vietnamese laborers who leave their jobs and stay in South Korea after their contracts expired in 2015 was still high at 31.9 percent, Seoul has decided not to accept large numbers of Vietnamese workers in 2016.

Vice director of the overseas labor department Tong Hai Nam said the ministry will strengthen the management and communication for Vietnamese laborers in South Korea in order to make them comply with the law.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs show that 85 percent of illegal overseas workers come from just 15 provinces, and the ministry is considering banning laborers from these provinces from traveling to work overseas.