Minister of Home Affairs Nguyễn Tiến Hải presents the draft amendments to the Law on Social Insurance during the sixth session of the National Assembly Standing Committee, which continues in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly Standing Committee on Wednesday discussed a proposed extension of social insurance contribution obligations to informal workers, a key highlight of the draft amendments to the Law on Social Insurance.

Minister of Home Affairs Nguyễn Tiến Hải presented the draft amendments as the committee's sixth session continued in Hà Nội, followed by a review from the National Assembly (NA)'s Committee for Culture and Social Affairs.

Mandatory social insurance participation has been proposed to include workers without formal employment relationships and those working on digital platforms such as ride-hailing and delivery services.

Reviewing this change, Nguyễn Đắc Vinh, chairman of the NA's Committee for Culture and Social Affairs, said that the committee’s Standing Board fundamentally agrees with the proposed expansion since it would help safeguard the social security rights of the informal workers.

"However, this group is a very broad demographic, so defining it requires careful consideration and thorough assessment based on practical realities," he said.

"The drafting agency must make sure that the new requirements are consistent with existing regulations on labour and employment in related sectors."

The NA's Permanent Vice Chairman Đỗ Văn Chiến agreed on the necessity of the expansion, but argued that it must target the right groups, align with their contribution capacities and offer sufficiently attractive benefits.

He urged the Government and the drafting agency to conduct a more rigorous review and provide more compelling data on the matter.

National Assembly President Trần Thanh Mẫn also stressed that the draft should not merely identify a new category of social insurance participants, but must also clarify the basis for contribution amounts and implementation methods and roadmap.

"Expanding coverage must mean a substantive expansion of rights and obligations, not just an expansion in wording or on paper," he said.

In addition, the draft amended law also proposes to expand the coverage of supplementary pension insurance to allow direct contribution from individual employees.

It also proposes to diversify social insurance fund investments, seeking to expand the investment portfolio to include deposits at joint-stock commercial banks with State capital, at State-owned enterprises and at joint-stock commercial banks with State-owned enterprise capital, but excluding commercial banks currently under special control.

Chairman Nguyễn Đắc Vinh of the NA's Committee for Culture and Social Affairs said the commitee generally agreed with the diversification of the social insurance fund's investment portfolio, but stressed that safety must be considered the top priority.

He urged the Government to establish criteria and clearly define investment targets, and to report the proposed expansion to competent authorities, noting that this is a new, complex and sensitive policy with significant implications for the rights and interests of a vast number of workers.

Regarding supplementary pension insurance, Vinh reported concerns among the commitee that the draft is limiting participation solely to employees, which might be inconsistent with the existing social insurance law which also recognises employers as eligible participants.

Consequently, he requested that the Government clarify the proposal to expand the pool of eligible participants and establish mechanisms to control the management and utilisation of the pension fund, and define the responsibilities of State management agencies and relevant organisations.

"This provision should not be amended until a thorough policy impact assessment and comprehensive data that reviews the policy's past performance are available," Vinh said. — VNS