South Korea still lucrative for Vietnamese workers

South Korea on March 17 received nearly 100 Vietnamese workers under the Employment Permit System (EPS) program who arrived at Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

This is the flight with the highest number of EPS workers since South Korea officially allowed the entry of Vietnamese laborers on May 21, 2021, after more than one year of disruption due to the expiration of the two countries' agreement on this issue and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnamese workers make immigration procedures at Incheon airport in South Korea. Photo: Manh Hung

After the South Korean Government eased the restriction on the number of weekly and daily entries to adapt to the “Safely living with Covid-19” plan, guest workers from all countries will be allowed to enter the country if they are confirmed to get Covid-19 vaccine and have a negative PCR test result 48 hours before boarding. Those who are fully vaccinated will be quarantined under South Korea's regulations.

Workers entering South Korea will be paid an advance by the employer to cover the entire cost of isolation with three levels of support (100%, 50%, and no support).

Sharing with Vietnam News Agency at Incheon Airport, worker Pham Van Hieu said: “I am very happy because after a long time waiting, we have managed to come to South Korea. I would like to thank the Overseas Labor Center under Vietnam's labor ministry and the South Korea Human Resource Development Agency (HRD) for facilitating our entry.”

Another worker, Hoang Huy Phuong, added: “Those entering South Korea should be prepared to be isolated and minimize contact with others so that you can stay safe and leave the quarantine in time.”

The Overseas Labor Center said it has formulated procedures to support Vietnamese workers in South Korea according to which they can report their situation on the center’s website if they need help returning to Vietnam.

South Korea is currently one of the key labor export markets for Vietnam. It is expected that from April 1, when this country adopts new entry regulations (medical quarantine is not required for double-dosed people as prescribed by the World Health Organization), the number of Vietnamese workers under the EPS Program arriving in South Korea will keep increasing.

South Korea continues to be a promising job market for Vietnamese after the government of this country re-launched in 2016 the EPS program which allows 15 countries including Vietnam to send workers to South Korea. The EPS is valid for two years and renewable on expiration.