The cabinet has approved a proposal to regulate Vietnamese migrants working in Thailand, a deputy government spokesman said yesterday.
Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the cabinet had agreed to the Labour Ministry's scheme to permit only Vietnamese who hold a passport and legally enter the country to register with the government, giving them the right to work for up to a year from registration.
Last year, the ministry introduced similar regulations for Myanmar workers in Thailand to suppress human trafficking and illegal working.
Labour officials now want to expand the registration of foreign workers to cover Vietnamese nationals after they have found many of them are working illegally in the country.
Employers will be required to bring their Vietnamese workers for registration at one-stop service centres nationwide. The registration must be renewed within 30 days after the one-year permit expires.
Vietnamese workers will be allowed to register for working in houses, restaurants, construction sites and in the fishing industry, he said. Cabinet had given the green light to begin recruiting Vietnamese workers to help solve Thailand's labour shortage in the construction and fishing industries, Maj Gen Sansern said.
The government plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese government over the recruitment of foreign workers by next month, he said.
If they are not legally registered, they are at risk of being deported, according to a source at the Labour Ministry. But Vietnamese workers who are currently working illegally will be given a grace period to work until Feb 28, 2016, the source said.