Most Vietnamese postgraduates have come to Japan to attend refresher courses or work in the fields of garments and textiles, electronics, mechanical engineering, construction and seafood processing.

The numbers of Vietnamese postgraduates in Japan have increased rapidly in recent years, however, they rose by only 5 percent last year, and dropped by 13.4 percent in the first half of this year due to the negative impact of the global financial crisis on the Japanese economy, with 40 percent of the country’s GDP depending on exports.

Many of them are currently studying and working in Gifu, Kanto, Kansai, Aichi and Hiroshima. They are highly appreciated by the Japanese people thanks to their hardwork character and intelligence. The average income of Vietnamese postgraduates in Japan ranges between US$700-1,100/month. Some people can even earn more than US$1,700/month.

There are 99 labour export companies allowed to send Vietnamese postgraduates and workers to Japan. In addition, dozens of Japanese-invested businesses in Vietnam are permitted to directly recruit Vietnamese postgraduates and workers for six-month or nine-month contracts.

During the past 15 years, the number of Vietnamese trainees in Japan has risen remarkably, but has still failed to tap the potential of both countries. Many Vietnamese guest workers broke their labour contracts, quit their jobs or broke working regulations and Japanese laws. The quality of Vietnamese workers is not high and many of them have poor language skills.

Vietnam’s overseas labour management agency has intensified measures to protect the legal rights of guest workers and help Japanese businesses to deal with the above-mentioned problems, with the aim of improving the image of Vietnamese guest workers and promoting the Vietnamese labour market in Japan.

To boost the export of Vietnamese workers to Japan, it is essential to implement these following measures:

Firstly, Vietnam and Japan have a strategic partnership, so the two countries should cooperate in training human resources. Japan should also help Vietnam to train postgraduate and receive local guest workers. They also need to intensify labour management to ensure that Vietnamese trainees and guest workers adhere to Japanese laws and fulfill their contracts. It is also necessary to create a labour inspection and examination network to check the quality of Vietnamese workers and trainees before sending them overseas, especially their language skills as well as their knowledge of working regulations and Japanese laws. Moreover, it is important to impose sanctions on those who break the law and regulations.

Secondly, businesses involved in exporting workers should thoroughly grasp the guest workers recruitment programme between Vietnam and Japan and play an active role in expanding the labour market in Japan. They should focus on training the Japanese language and promoting the Japanese culture. It is also essential to portray a good image of Vietnamese trainees and guest workers to Japanese businesses and pay due attention to the overseas labour management.

Thirdly, Vietnamese postgraduates and workers should clearly define their purpose when studying or working in Japan and properly understand their contracts. They must have the professional skills that are required by Japanese businesses, and strictly obey laws of both Vietnam and Japan, as well as the regulations of labour export companies and Japanese businesses.