Opportunities for Vietnamese workers to work in Korea

Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan and the delegation witnessed the signing ceremony of the agreement between Director of the Overseas Labor Center (Dolab) Dang Huy Hong and Chairman of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD Korea) Lee Woo Young.

The agreement consists of 13 articles, the purpose of which is to establish the issues and work contents necessary with the support of HRD and Dolab to implement the test scoring system (Korean language test, skill test and ability assessment).

The document specifically stipulates the responsibilities and obligations of the two units in organizing the implementation of the scoring system, announcing exam results, and guiding employees in completing their application and registration.

Compared to the 2021 agreement, this document basically absorbs and inherits the contents, with some additional details to suit the implementation of the program to send Vietnamese workers to Korea to work (EPS). As stipulated, the selection system is applied based on the scoring method, including the forms of round 1 (EPS-TOPIK) and round 2 exams; capacity assessment; fraud prevention and handling (Article 8).

The exam fee is adjusted from the current level of 24 USD/worker to 28 USD.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chairman of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRD) Lee Woo Young summarized that the Korean Foreign Labor Employment Permit Program (EPS Program) has been implemented for 20 years and has brought many benefits. Korea currently has a policy to expand the program and hopes that it can attract more good Vietnamese workers to work in Korea.

Mr. Lee Woo Young mentioned that recently, Vietnamese worker Vu Van Giap won first prize in a skills competition among 16 countries sending workers to Korea. That demonstrates the excellence and good qualities of Vietnamese workers. In the context of a shortage of human resources in many industries, Vietnamese workers will be a good source of supplement for Korea.

"We would like to thank our partner agency, the Overseas Labor Center - Dolab, Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam for sending us truly excellent workers. Before the end of 2023, more than 10,200 Vietnamese workers had entered the country. In 2024, we hope to have more workers sent to Korea by Dolab," said Mr. Lee Woo Young.

In the discussion, Deputy Minister Nguyen Ba Hoan commented that the EPS program has received awards from the United Nations, along with HRD. The signing of the service agreement between HRD Korea and Dolab Vietnam is a premise for the two centers to cooperate and further promote the implementation of the EPS program.

The leader of the Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs summarized that after 20 years of implementing the EPS program, nearly 130,000 Vietnamese workers have been sent to work in Korea. This is a symbolic number for cooperation in the field of labor, employment and people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

"The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs hopes and requests that HRD Korea continue to pay attention, closely coordinate and promote the cooperative relationship to implement the EPS Program with Vietnam to a new level. Vietnamese workers participating in the program, in addition to having jobs and good income, will also receive scientific and technical training so that after returning home, they can continue to participate in the domestic job market as technical human resources," Mr. Hoan expressed.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has assigned the Overseas Labor Center to continue to closely and effectively coordinate with HRD Korea, promptly reporting to the Ministry major and new issues in cooperation to work with HRD to successfully implement the EPS Program in the spirit agreed upon at the working session between Minister Dao Ngoc Dung and Korean Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik in Hanoi in 2023.

Korea expands industries accepting workers

Speaking after the signing ceremony, Director of the Overseas Labor Center Dang Huy Hong hoped that the Korean Human Resources Development Agency would continue to cooperate and work closely with Dolab to fulfill the requirements of the tasks assigned to the two agencies by the two Ministries of Labor.

Mr. Hong also mentioned that in 2024, Korea has a target of receiving 165,000 workers from countries participating in the EPS program. Mr. Hong hopes that Korea will increase the target of receiving workers under the E9 visa (visa for unskilled workers) for Vietnam.

In fact, in 2023, 29,000 Vietnamese workers registered to take the Korean language test and more than 50% met the requirements, but only more than 10,000 people received visas to work in Korea. Increasing the license quota will allow more workers who have passed the test to soon go to work in Korea, helping to solve the labor shortage in your country.

In addition, Director Dolab proposed a mechanism to reserve exam results for 1 year for those who have not been granted a visa, complete documents, and exit procedures to Korea after the Korean language exam.

Mr. Hong also suggested expanding the labor receiving industries to areas such as restaurants, hotels, forestry, and mining, which the Korean side has a policy on. He asked the partner agency to soon inform the plan to effectively recruit this group of workers.

In response, Chairman Dolab affirmed that the labor quota only applies to the manufacturing industry. Other industries such as agriculture - livestock, fisheries, and services can recruit labor freely. The actual quota will increase significantly to 165,000 workers next year.

Regarding the rate of only 30% of workers taking the Korean language exam being able to leave the country, Mr. Lee Woo Young affirmed that he will consider the option of reserving the exam results or other options to avoid wasting workers.

The Korean representative also committed that for new industries with labor recruitment needs mentioned by Mr. Hong, when the Korean Government has specific instructions, HRD will notify Vietnamese partners as soon as possible.