Foreign contractors to prioritize local workers

Laws - Foreign contractors are now required to prioritize local workers for the jobs and positions for which they have adequate qualifications, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has said.

In a directive sent to provinces, cities and relevant agencies across the country, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said foreign contractors are required to include in their bidding dossiers plans for the employment of foreign and local workforce.

They are also required to report the recruitment of Vietnamese workers to the local People’s Committee of the province or city where they are implementing the project, including the number of Vietnamese workers, their expertise, experience and length of recruitment.

The directive came in accordance with the government’s Decree No.46 on the recruitment and management of foreigners working in Vietnam that took effect last month.

Under the decree, local authorities are responsible for supplying domestic workers to the foreign contractors as requested.

If they fail to do so within 30 days (for the recruitment of less than 500 workers) and 60 days (for a request of over 500 workers), they have to permit the contractors to employ foreign workers for the positions left unfilled by the locals.

All foreign workers must have work permits before their visa applications with the Ministry of Public Security are approved.

The decree was issued in an effort to reduce the number of foreign workers, most of whom are undocumented, dominating projects carried out by foreign contractors in Vietnam, while a large proportion of the local workforce is unemployed.

In early August, for instance, local authorities of the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau reported that 1,051 of the 1,728 Chinese nationals working at the construction site of the Ca Mau Urea Plant had no work permit.

Similarly, in August 202 Chinese workers at the Nhan Co Aluminum Plant in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong were reported to be without a work permit by the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.