Vietnam-Malaysia labor cooperation develops continuously and substantively

Thai Phuc Thanh, head of the Labor Management Department and Vietnamese expert in Malaysia, said that the cooperation relationship in the labor field between Vietnam and Malaysia develops continuously and substantively.

Since 2003, the two governments have signed the first cooperation agreement on bringing Vietnamese to work in Malaysia, re-signed in 2015 and 2022 within the framework of the official visit to Vietnam by former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri. Yaakob.

Talking to a VNA reporter in Kuala Lumpur on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (March 30, 1973 – March 30, 2023), Mr. Thai Phuc Thanh affirmed that labor cooperation is always welcome. mentioned in most high-level meetings between the two countries.

The content of cooperation is always closely linked to the interests of employees, businesses and development goals of each country.

Labor cooperation Vietnam-Malaysia It is not only a bilateral cooperation but also within the framework of cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and trade agreements that the two countries are involved in.

The head of the Labor Management Department and Vietnamese experts in Malaysia also affirmed the great significance of the labor cooperation agreements for the two countries.

Bringing Vietnamese workers to work in Malaysia is one of the effective cooperation contents, especially in the period 2002-2012, helping to solve the very high demand for Malaysian labor – creating a lot of value. increased and contributed significantly to Malaysia’s economic growth.

These agreements have created jobs and incomes for hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers, reduced unemployment, and reduced pressure on domestic employment.

It is estimated that the income of Vietnamese workers in Malaysia in 10 years, from 2010 to 2020 is about 1.5 billion USD, although the number of Vietnamese labor in Malaysia significantly reduced; from labor cooperation has opened up many business cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, tourism and investment between the two countries.

Malaysia is considered a “easy” labor market, suitable for the majority of unskilled workers from rural Vietnam.

Vietnamese workers have the opportunity to work in almost all industries in Malaysia – such as manufacturing, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, textiles, construction, services, farming, agriculture, domestic help. family…

According to official statistics, the number of Vietnamese workers currently working legally in Malaysia is more than 12,300 people – of which more than 50% work in manufacturing, about 10% in construction, more than 10 % in the service sector, 10% in the agricultural sector.

Referring to the goal of effectively exploiting the potential of cooperation between the two countries in the field of labor, Mr. Thai Phuc Thanh said that it is necessary to continue to work towards mutually beneficial cooperation based on the law of the market economy but weak in the economy. The most important factor is the labor supply-demand factor, especially the creation of favorable conditions for workers to move, reside and work legally, towards the job market with higher income, exploiting the segment of skilled and highly qualified labor market.

According to him, this is also a new point in the cooperation relationship between the two countries when Malaysia is attracting the most foreign investment in the service and high-tech sectors.

[Quan hệ đối tác Việt Nam-Malaysia đạt nhiều kết quả tốt đẹp]

In fact, according to the Federation of Employers of Foreigners in Malaysia (MEF), Malaysia has always faced the conundrum of foreign workers.

Palm oil – one of the strategic exports of this country with the second largest export volume in the world after Indonesia – has suffered a serious loss of more than 7 billion USD when foreign workers return home during this time. outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to statistics, Malaysia is short of more than 72,000 workers in the field of farming and afforestation.

Similarly, in the construction sector Malaysia is also facing a serious shortage of labor causing large construction projects to be behind schedule. It is estimated that the manufacturing sector is facing a labor shortage of 40%.

Hotels have applied to recruit foreign workers, but most are waiting for approval, although the recruitment channel for foreign workers has reopened since the beginning of 2022.

The restaurant industry, which lacks nearly 40,000 workers, is in a state of alarm. Some restaurants have closed permanently and others have had to close branches.

Faced with the above situation, from May 2022, the Malaysian Government has raised the minimum wage for workers from 1,100 ringgit to 1,500 ringgit, the largest increase ever.

Besides, Malaysia will develop a portal on labor supply and demand to facilitate recruitment. foreign workers.

According to Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Human Resources are also ready to use blockchain technology, which is considered to be more transparent, especially in the management of foreign workers as recommended. recommended by the International Labor Organization as a tool to support foreign recruitment in the fastest and most convenient way for the parties.

However, according to Mr. Thai Phuc Thanh, Vietnamese workers are having better job options in the Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese markets with higher incomes.

However, Malaysia is still considered one of the top markets for unskilled Vietnamese workers after Japan, Korea, and Taiwan (China).

Hang Linh (VNA/Vietnam+)