Relatively quick at measuring the market supply and demand, many companies have set up manpower floors with very exciting matching sessions. With supports from provincial Departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, many enterprises have grasped numerous business opportunities. For instance, only one session of a newly opened employment floor in Quang Tri province attracted more than 80 enterprises registering for recruitment. Within a day, more than 300 people were recruited amongst 700-800 attendants.

Ms Nguyen Mai Anh, Director of Human Resources Department, HiPT Group, said her group has adopted many attractive policies its employees like helping them improve knowledge, encouraging devotions by special travel bonuses, and creating professional working environment. But, it is very difficult to keep talented employees because other corporations are also fiercely headhunting

While white-colour workers are changeable in career orientations, factory owners are reeling for the attitude of workers. Only after the traditional Lunar New Year, which fell on mid-February, many factories have closed and waited for workers to return. As most workers moved from farming, their working manners are not professional and usually rely on personal seasons for a leave like family feast, wedding party or even planting and harvesting.

While domestic companies were racing in search for human resources and applying many preferential policies to keep senior staffs, dozens of manpower exporters were returning licences, according to the statistics from the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in 2009.

Does labour export make super profit?

The manpower export in Vietnam is a super profit business. Ms Nguyen Thuy Chi, an overseas Vietnamese in Singapore, said the demand for charwomen is very high in Singapore. Per month, her family pays US$65 for a three-hour-per-week housework. If she employs a full-time charwoman, she will have to pay up to US$500 in addition to US$250 tax.

Many markets are still open to labour import from Vietnam while many traditional markets have closed. Recently, many manpower exporters returned licences on the grounds that traditional foreign labour markets had closed to migrant workers. According to DOLAB, in 2008 and 2009, more than 10,000 workers had to prematurely repatriate due to the economic crisis.

However, this is still a super profit business because only a few companies dare to pay a brokerage commission of US$700 for each worker sent to work abroad. They can still do business well if they have a profound knowledge of employment and obey the law.