Higher overseas pay keeps Vietnamese workers from coming home

Higher wages abroad and limited career opportunities at home are prompting many Vietnamese workers who return from overseas jobs to consider leaving the country again, readers shared.

They made comments in response to an article about Vietnamese workers struggling to find jobs after returning home and choosing to go abroad again.

A reader using the nickname fv2xwwbsbs made the comparison between the earnings of their sibling working in agriculture in Vietnam and Australia.

"My sibling studied agriculture and used to work at a farm in Da Lat for about VND10 million (US$386) a month. Later, they moved to Australia and still worked on a farm, but earned US$70,000-77,000 a year, with the company covering the tax. The only real expenses are food, and even designer clothes are cheap relative to the income. One or two hours' wages can pay for them.

For someone who has spent years earning $6,000-7,000 a month, coming home and taking a job that pays over $300 a month is very difficult to accept."

An in-depth report on Vietnamese workers overseas, released by the Statistics Office in September, found that 27% of surveyed returnees wanted to leave the country again. Most preferred to return to places where they had previously worked because they were familiar with the environment, already had networks of fellow Vietnamese there and saw opportunities for better-paying jobs.

A reader using the nickname La Huyen day explained: "I know several people who came back after working overseas. Some took nearly two years to find a suitable path if they decided to remain in Vietnam.

Working for a company felt restrictive, while the pay was lower than overseas. Freelance work offered unstable income, and they were unsure what career they really wanted to pursue. In the end, most of my friends learned another trade and became self-employed.

The beginning was difficult, but in the long run things became more stable. Perhaps whether you leave or stay matters less than whether you can find a suitable path after returning. The real question may be whether workers simply do not want to stay, or whether the domestic labor market does not offer enough suitable choices."

Statistics show that 95% of returnees are working in elementary occupations or jobs requiring little technical or professional expertise.

The largest group, accounting for nearly 31%, consists of craft and related trades workers, while about 25% work in clerical, security and sales jobs. Men are concentrated mainly in craft occupations, while women tend to work in sales and personal services.

Only just over 5% of returnees have jobs requiring professional or technical qualifications, including 3% in high-skilled positions and 2% in mid-level skilled jobs.

Reader Mit To Bin commented: "The most important things are a worker's qualifications and skills. For example, if you have only finished high school and have an N3 Japanese-language certificate, that is not enough. What matters is what you learned during three years as a technical intern or trainee in Japan. Before returning, you should make sure there is a suitable job waiting for you in Vietnam. Otherwise, try to stay in Japan and improve your professional skills.

If, for example, you graduated from a Vietnamese university with a degree in information technology, can communicate in English and have N2 Japanese, your position is completely different. For vocational workers, though, Japan still offers much higher incomes than Vietnam."

Reader sieunhann8, who lives in Taiwan, said: "I found a part-time job on my own with an air-conditioning installation company, working alongside local people. I have only been here for a year, but from what I have seen, Vietnamese workers who have lived here for several years can generally understand and speak Chinese, while their reading and writing skills remain very poor.

In general, jobs available to workers either require high levels of expertise, involve hazardous working conditions or demand considerable physical strength. My suggestion is that workers should return to Vietnam and learn a skilled trade to build a career rather than chase exchange-rate differences and remain in manual jobs."

Reader quangsinhhoc0905 wrote: "Compared with going abroad as an unskilled worker to make some money for a few years, investing in education and improving the quality of your skills still has lasting value.

While you are focused on earning money, friends who stay home may be gaining qualifications, graduating and learning how to adapt to life and work in Vietnam. In the long term, they may have more opportunities.

So the first priority should be studying and developing solid skills. After graduating, you can gain experience overseas as an engineer or skilled professional, save some money, then return home to start a business or continue your career.

That is more sustainable. You cannot remain an unskilled worker forever. By the time you are 35 or 40 and companies no longer want to hire you, job opportunities become much more limited and adapting becomes much harder."