Supporting poor district workers to work abroad under contract

Recently, the number of workers going to work abroad under contracts in Dakrong district has increased sharply. The above results are partly thanks to the policy of supporting ethnic minority workers, workers from poor and near-poor households to work abroad under contracts from central and local resources.

Ho Van Song (second from left) in Khe Luoi village, Mo O commune, Dakrong district, before leaving for work under contract in the Japanese market - Photo: TN

In recent years, Dakrong district has strengthened the propaganda and dissemination of the Party's policies and the State's policies on sending workers to work abroad. At the same time, it has developed a plan to review and compile a list of people of working age, and to learn about their aspirations and needs to work abroad.

These days, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) of Dakrong district is urgently completing the final procedures to disburse the State's support money to workers in communes and towns in the district to work abroad. This time, the whole district has 29 people supported with nearly 320 million VND from the capital of sub-project 2 of Project 4 on developing sustainable career and employment programs in 2024 under the National Target Program (MTQG) for sustainable poverty reduction in the period 2021 - 2025.

Accordingly, workers are supported with food, accommodation, travel, vocational skills training, foreign languages, orientation education... to work abroad under contract. In addition, communes and towns in Dakrong district also review and establish funding needs to support workers working abroad under contract according to Resolution 119/2023/NQ-HDND dated November 7, 2023 of the Provincial People's Council on policies to support people working abroad under contract and support workers whose contracts have expired and return to the country with labor contracts in Quang Tri province for ethnic minorities; workers from poor households; demobilized armed forces, relatives of people with revolutionary contributions in the province in the period of 2024 - 2026.

Accordingly, from 2024 to 2026, Dakrong district will have 291 workers eligible for one-time cash support under Resolution 119 with a level of 5 - 10 million VND/person, depending on each labor market. In addition to the above direct support sources, workers in Dakrong are also supported with loans at the district Social Policy Bank (CSXH) with preferential interest rates.

According to Mr. Ngo Van Bao, Director of the Dakrong District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office, in the district, there are 93 workers who have borrowed capital from the bank to work abroad under contracts with a total amount of VND 7,482 billion. The workers mainly borrowed capital to work in the Japanese market.

On average, each worker can borrow 80 million VND. The loan amount is 100% of the cost according to the labor contract signed with the company. The loan interest rate is equal to the loan interest rate for poor households as prescribed by the Government from time to time (currently, the loan interest rate is 6.6%/year).

Particularly for poor district 30a, poor households or ethnic minority households are eligible to borrow capital at an interest rate equal to 50% of the lending interest rate for poor households as prescribed by the Government from time to time (currently, the loan interest rate is 3.3%/year). To date, 20 workers have paid off their debts with a loan amount of 1.723 billion VND; 73 workers still have outstanding debts with an amount of 3.581 billion VND.

It is known that previously, Dakrong district assigned the target of having 1-2 workers working abroad under contract in each commune, but many communes did not achieve it. The reason is partly because the cost of going to work abroad in some potential markets is quite high compared to the ability of workers. Therefore, since implementing the State's policies to support mobilization resources under the National Target Program from 2022 - 2025, the number of workers working abroad in localities in the district has increased significantly.

Some communes have dozens of workers working abroad, such as Ta Long commune in 2023 with 20 people; Ta Rut commune in 2024 with 25 people... Workers mainly work in the Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean markets... in farming, animal husbandry, construction, and electronic component assembly. In 2023 and 2024, the target of the resolution of the Dakrong District People's Council is to send 60 workers to work abroad each year, and each year the district has more than 80 workers working abroad under contract.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quang, Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Dakrong district, the lives of people in Dakrong district are still difficult, so the implementation of support policies from State resources as above is very important. It is calculated that a worker going to work in the Japanese market is initially supported with about 100 million VND (of which direct support is more than 20 million VND, plus a loan from the Social Policy Bank of about 80 million VND with very low interest rates). This initial resource helps workers have funds to pay for expenses before completing exit procedures to work abroad.

“We have coordinated with reputable labor export companies, communes and towns to organize communication to villages and hamlets so that people can grasp information about the government's support policies; explain to workers that this is a great opportunity, especially union members and unemployed youth who need to quickly take advantage. Working abroad during this period is supported by the government with many expenses.

After the contract expires, workers will have the skills to work for domestic companies or have capital to invest in production and business locally. Local workers are very excited to hear this information," said Mr. Quang.

Thuy Ngoc

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/tiep-suc-cho-lao-dong-huyen-ngheo-di-lam-viec-o-nuoc-ngoai-theo-hop-dong-189910.htm