Doors opening for Vietnamese labor in Japan

Labor orders from Japan have increased from last year, especially in the construction and agriculture sectors, as Japan plans to extend contracts to foreign laborers by several years, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Le Anh Tuan, director of labor export company Trancimexco at the Transport Ministry, said labor orders from Japan in the first quarter increased 20 percent over the same period last year, giving the company confidence to raise its export target to 250 laborers this year, from 180 last year.

“Many companies signing contracts with us said the larger recruitment is to prepare a workforce for Japan’s plans of investing and producing in Vietnam in the future,” Tuan said.

Than Thi Thao, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City-based labor exporter Gmas (Global Manpower Services JSC), said its recruitment for Japan in the first quarter doubled to 50. 

JAPAN RECRUITS DIFFICULT YOUTHS

Japan international manpower development association IM Japan has launched a pilot training program to recruit poor Vietnamese youths who could not afford to enter high school for Japan market. The program has chosen to start with 50 candidates from the northern province of Phu Tho, and plans to continue with 100 each from the nearby Tuyen Quang, and the central regions’ Quang Binh and Dak Nong Provinces. All costs are exempted.

“We sent more than 100 laborers to Japan in 2013. With this trend, we’re sure that we can fulfill the goal of sending around 150 over,” Thao said.

Bien Dong, the labor export subsidiary of Vietnam National Sea Products Corporation in the city, has sent nearly 30 workers to Japan this year and 20 others are expected to be by the end of this month, while they’re still short of 50 candidates to meet orders. 

A representative from the company said they had to send people to look for workers in the central region, which is the poorest area in the country with a difficult climate and terrain conditions forcing many people to migrate to either north or south to work.

“But it might be hard to recruit enough as many other businesses are also hunting heads.”

Nguyen Gia Liem, head if Vietnamese Labor Management Board in Japan, told Tuoi Tre Japan needs thousands of construction laborers to prepare for the Summer Olympic Games 2020 that it was chosen to host.

Japan also wants to boost up the recovery at areas damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, while its agriculture sector is severely short of labor, Liem said.

He said another good news is that many Japanese business groups have plans to increase contract terms to foreign laborers.

“They proposed that we increase the contract terms in several sectors, from one to three years for simple job areas like food processing, and three to five years for construction.”

Liem said negotiations on the extension will start this June.

Vu Truong Giang, who is in charge of the Japan market at the labor ministry’s Department of Overseas Labor, said labor exporters have not taken the good news seriously by providing qualified labor.

“Japanese people always prioritize quality, so businesses that have the opportunity to recruit laborers need to be careful. They have to train the candidates properly to make a good impression.

“If the first groups do a good job, the chance for Vietnam to keep the market and increase its labor will be more steady. Otherwise, if we just care about the money generated and not the quality of our labor, we will lose the chance sooner or later.”