The proposal was made as National Assembly deputies discussed a draft law amending the Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers under Contract.
People who have worked abroad are considered an important human resource, having gained skills and experience in modern working environments, according to deputy Nguyen Ngoc Son of Hai Phong city.
“There is currently no dedicated agency responsible for connecting returning workers with employment opportunities, nor is there an integrated database to support this process," said Son. "Such a connection is very important because it will determine whether we turn returning workers into valuable human resources or allow that potential to be wasted. So I propose that the law establish a basic legal framework with specific support mechanisms, including vocational and foreign language training, preferential access to credit, and incentives for workers from ethnic minority areas,” he said.
Deputy Son suggested that the skills and expertise that workers acquire while working abroad should be recorded in a national database, with appropriate mechanisms in place to recognize, assess, and certify those competencies upon their return to Vietnam.
For workers planning to start businesses or set up production and trading facilities after returning home, lawmakers said support was also needed in areas such as access to credit, administrative procedures, market connections, and policies encouraging business development.
Ha Thi Anh Thu, a deputy from Quang Ngai, said the law needs to support workers when they return home, through measures such as recognizing their vocational skills, helping them find jobs, supporting startups, and connecting them with businesses and industrial parks, especially those with foreign investment.
"This would make better use of the workforce and the skills they’ve gained in international labor markets. Workers are not commodities for export. They are a national human resource,” said Thu.
