Vietnam stops sending workers to KL

Vietnam stops sending workers to KL

VIETNAM: Vietnam has stopped sending construction workers to
Malaysia while that country's building industry remains hit hard
by rising steel prices, an official said on Tuesday.

Malaysia is Vietnam's largest labor export market, with more
than 75,000 people working there -- about a third of them in the
construction sector, a labor ministry official said on condition
of anonymity.

In recent months, around 700 Vietnamese construction workers
have lost their jobs and many more were expected to be laid off
as Malaysia suspends several major construction projects due to
the recent sharp increase in the price of steel, she said.

The official said the government expected a recovery in
Malaysia's construction industry. He said Vietnam was suspending
efforts to send construction workers there, but that it may be
able to resume as early as July.

Laborers working in factories were not affected, she added.

In 2003, Vietnam sent about 75,000 workers overseas, with more
than 40,000 of them going to Malaysia. Other top labor export
markets are Taiwan, South Korea and the Middle East. -- AP