Australia to allow up to 1,000 Vietnamese workers in agricultural sector

On September 6, the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam have jointly announced the next steps to support Vietnamese workers undertake work in the Australian agriculture sector under the Vietnam Labour Mobility Arrangement. The Australian government will enable up to 1,000 Vietnamese workers at a time to undertake work in the Australian agriculture sector. 

Under this arrangement, Vietnamese workers can be employed under short-term (6 to 9 months) or long-term (1 to 4 years) roles in low and semi-skilled roles across primary industries sectors such as horticulture, meat processing, fisheries (including aquaculture) and forestry.
The program’s implementation arrangements, announced by the two Prime Ministers in March this year, set out the eligibility requirements for Vietnamese workers as well as key roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders to ensure worker welfare. 

Speaking at the event, MOLISA Vice Minister Nguyen Ba Hoan said that: “The implementation of the Arrangement aims to address Vietnamese citizens’ expectation of working in Australia to improve their English skill, accumulate their knowledge and technical skills in agriculture sector with high income. Then these knowledge and skills can be applied to achieve higher productivity and efficiency when returning to the home country. It is also to help fulfill labor gaps of the Australian employers”.

Affirming that the program highlights the economic cooperation and enhanced people-to-people links between Australia and Vietnam, and reflects the two countries’ newly enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Deputy Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Renee Deschamps, added: “Both Australia and Vietnam are committed to worker safety and will work hard to minimise the risk of fraud, unethical recruitment practices, and worker exploitation under the program. We look forward to working with experienced recruitment service enterprises in Vietnam with strong ethical, fair and inclusive recruitment practices and policies”. 

Vietnamese workers, who meet the Worker Eligibility Criteria and Visa Eligibility Requirements, will be supported to come to Australia using the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme infrastructure. Recruitment fees will be covered by Australian employers and paid to the non-business state organization and Vietnamese recruitment service enterprises.