Opportunities arise for increased labour exports to Europe

As a result, the 2019 target of sending 120,000 domestic workers overseas set by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) is achievable.

According to MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung, numerous foreign delegations has visited Vietnam in recent times with the aim of seeking to sign co-operation agreements on labour exports as many countries are facing aging population, thus leading to a shortage of employees.

Czech Republic resumes work visas for Vietnamese citizens

As a vast labour market which is not inferior to developed nations like the US and Canada, the Czech Republic is considered a highly lucrative market for foreign workers thanks to high wages, attractive social welfare, and high living conditions, however, working requirements have remained relatively strict.

The central European nation resumed long-term visas for Vietnamese citizens on June 6 this year after a one-year suspension. The Czech Republic Embassy in Hanoi received the first batch of 200 visa applications submitted by Vietnamese citizens who plan on visiting the Czech Republic for work from this August onwards.

The resumption of visas available to Vietnamese labourers and travelers is a meaningful co-operative activity that benefits the interests of both countries,

Vietnam has plenty of experience in organising recruitment and training events, in addition to sending local workers abroad.

Evidence for this can be seen in success enjoyed by Vietnamese nurses and orderlies who have been sent to Japan and Germany.

The Czech Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies, Vojtěch Filip, said his country wishes to co-operate with Vietnam in dispatching Vietnamese medical workers and orderlies to work in the Czech Republic towards building a training facility in Vietnam.

He added that the European nation is capable of receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 Vietnamese nurses for the purpose of study and work.

Nursing training opportunities in Germany

As one of the most developed countries in Europe, Germany enjoys a strong economy which is home to a large number of major groups and seen as an ideal destination for Vietnamese workers seeking employment in nursing.

During a recent conference on the nursing training programme for 2019-2020 in Germany, Dang Sy Dung, deputy director of the Department of Overseas Labour, said the programme aims at selecting 230 candidates for nursing training courses in Germany.

The trainees would take part in a three-year course in Germany. During their training in Germany, they would be offered a training salary of about EUR1,326 (VND34 million).

After their graduation, they can be considered for permanent residency in Germany if they wish and receive a starting monthly salary of around EUR2,000 as high as a German citizen gets, and enjoy social welfare in accordance with German law, Dung said.

Regarding the support from the German Development Cooperation Organization (GIZ) for Vietnamese trainees, Jasper Abramowski - Country Director of GIZ Vietnam said the trainees would receive full support in terms of everyday life- related activities and admission procedures during their first week in Germany.

Each trainee would then pay up to EUR300 (VND7.7 million) for their accommodation each month and the training facility would pay the different level if their rent is higher.

All trainees would be under the care of GIZ during the first year of training and would be given advice about the way to deal with difficulties in their daily life in the country of residence, he noted.