The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views or policies of theAsian

Development Bank Institute (ADBI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent.
ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use.
Terminology used may not necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

Employment Permit
System (EPS) in Viet Nam

By MOLISA – VIETNAM
Seoul, 30-31 January 2018

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 The EPS in Viet Nam
I. LEGAL FOUNDATION
- Labour Code
- Law on Sending Vietnamese Workers to work abroad
under the contract (2006)
II. THE ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS:
- Ministry of Labour Invalids and social Affairs
(Department of overseas labor -DOLAB);
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Consular Department;
Embassies of Viet Nam to receiving contry);
- Others (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Justice;Ministry
of Public security)
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 The EPS in Viet Nam
III. BILATERAL AGREEMENTS ON EPS:
- 6/2004: THE FIRST MOU was signed; and renewed on 2006,
2008, 2010.

- 8/2012: the MOU was not renewed because of high overstayed

worker rate of Vietnamese workers in Korea
Only workers who return home country on schedule after
completing employment contract can go back to work in Korea.

- 12/2013: signed THE SPECIAL MOU for EPS about the

receving who are passed on Examination on 2011.

- 4/2015: Renewed the second special MOU for EPS

- 5/2016: signed THE NORMAL MOU Opend the door to VN

workers who wish to work in Korea, including overstayed
workers who volunteesMOLISA
1/30/2018
returning home country
- VIETNAM 3
 The EPS in Viet Nam
IV. KEY IMPLEMENTING INSTITUTIONS:
- Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (Department of
Overseas Labor -DOLAB): responsible for management of the
Vietnamese side of the bilateral cooperation established under the
EPS, including signing of the MOU and developing and
implementing policy on deployment, return, and re-integration of
workers.
- Centre for Overseas Workers (COLAB) under MOLISA: act as the
“sending agency” in the government to government structure of the
EPS, including processing job applications, providing a roster of
qualified candidates to HRD Korea, administrating the signing of an
employment contract, carrying out pre-departure training, and other
tasks.
- Department of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs at provincial level:
responsible for carrying out Ministerial policies and procedures to
facilitate deployment and return of workers under the EPS.
- Overseas
1/30/2018 Labour Management Board
MOLISA : mandated with the task of
- VIETNAM 4
managing Vietnamese workers while deployed abroad.
 V. Implementing EPS in Viet Nam
Sending process

Step1. Step 3.
Step 4.
Testing for Korean COLAB sign Step5.
Korean- Step 2. employers the contract Workers
language select on sending participate in
Participation
proficiency suitable workers to The pre -
in job
workers and work abroad departure
and a seekers’
sign under training
medical roster
employment contract with course
examination
contract with the workers
the workers

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 V. Implementing EPS in Viet Nam
 Program for new applicants
 Program of the Re-Entry Systerm for Special EPS-
TOPIK (for workers who return home country on
schedule)
 Program of the Re-Entry Systerm for
Commited/model workers (for workers who no
changes of workplace during previuos employment
period in Korea)
 Happy Return Program: support migrant workers to
Return and re-integration into labour market in
Vietnam.
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 Implementing EPS in Viet Nam
For New
Applicants
CONDITIONS:
Labour
- Age: 18-39 year
Depart
old
of Province
-No breaking the
Korean law
language - Satisfying the
exammination conditions and
Colab selection criteria of
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MOLISA - VIETNAM Nam and7
 Implementing EPS in Viet Nam
CBT workers CONDITIONS:
- Age: 18-39 year
old
COLAB -Return home
country on time.
- After finished
Korean
contract and
language CBT
extened one year
examm
and 10 months
COLAB -No breaking Viet
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Nam and Korea law 8
 Implementing EPS in Viet Nam
Model form CONDITIONS:
workers - Age: unlimited
-Return home
Labour country on time.
Depart - No change work
of Province place in 4 year and
Korean
language 10 months.
exammination -No breaking Viet
Nam and Korea law
COLAB -.
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 VI. Current Status of EPS
Table 1: Number of Vietnamese workers going
to work in South Korea under EPS system from
 From 2004 to 2017: 2004 to 2017

96,415 Vietnamese Types of workers

Year Total
New CBT Model
workers have been 2004 704 704
admitted to Korea under 2005 8,628 8,628
the EPS, include: 2006 5,714 5,714
2007 10,491 10,491
 New workers: 80,391 2008 12,398 12,398
 CBT wokers: 10,408
2009 4,837 4,837
2010 8,199 8,199
 Model workers: 5,608 2011 12,595 12,599
2012 6,366 513 456 7,335
2013 - 1,556 1,184 2,740
2014 3,682 1,466 353 5,501
2015 2,834 1,245 829 4,908
2016 1,380 4,158 1,583 7,121
2017 2,563 1,470 1,203 5,240
1/30/2018 2004-2017
MOLISA - VIETNAM 80,391 10,408 5,608 96,415
10
 Graph 1: Share of Vietnamese workers going to work in Korea under
EPS system from 2004 to 2017 by Industries

80.13 7.62 9.60 2.63

2004-2017 (N=96,415)

2.81

2017 (N=5,240) 78.38 1.26 17.54

2011 (N= 12,599) 63.67 11.98 18.84 5.48

2004 (N= 704) 100.00 0.00

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Manufacturing Construction Agriculture Service Fishery
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 EFFECTIVENESS OF EPS IN VIETNAM
 Most of Vietnamese workers in Korea has stable job and
income. From 1st Jan 2018, the basic salary is 1,566,240
W/month (40h/week) (7,530W/hour).

 Vietnamese workers are favored by Korean employers

because of hard working, intelligence and easy adaptation to
new working and living environment.

 Transparency during recruitment and preparatory training; the

administrative procedures for sending workers significantly
faster; the official migration costs are considerably lower.

 Besides savings, migrant workers could learn and accumulate

model techniques/skills and good experiences in order to
develope their career as well as to contribute in economic
development of Vietnam after returning home country.
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 Issues and concerns

- The method of selecting mass laborers, focusing on

Korean Language, does not focus on skilled workers so
that skilled workers can not recruit.

- Workers tend to living and working near relatives, that

why the rate of change of the employer is high

- And high income, cultural similarity, the Government of

Korea does not penalize the employer is illegal is the
main reason Vietnamese workers do not want to return
home.
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 VII. Recommendations to improve the EPS
 Promoting the cooperation between Vietnamese Labor Section
and relating authorities of Korea to manage the Vietnamese labor
in Korea; Close coordination with program partners

 Vietnam Government continues taking significant steps towards

more effective management of EPS procedures, including
improving sending procedures, increasing awareness-raising
activities and delivering reintegration services to returning
workers, ect.

 Policies on Korean Language Test need improvement: to

increase passing rate and passing grade of EPS applicants and
make the administration of the test more efficient

 Korean government to strictly handle employers who are employ

illegal workers.
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 Thank you for your attention!

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