Chairman of the People's Committee of central Bình Định Province Nguyễn Phi Long presents Tết gifts to a resident in Nhơn Châu Island on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has devised specific solutions to ensure a warm Tết (Lunar New Year) festival for social policy beneficiaries, and support those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The solutions form part of a recently-issued action plan, under which the ministry also prepared resources to support labourers in case of risks amid the pandemic.

The MoLISA will continue with the policy on poverty reduction, and effectively implement the national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction, with priorities given to poor households in ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

Vulnerable groups will receive both regular and unscheduled assistance, according to the plan.

The ministry said operating the labour market effectively in line with the country’s economic recovery and development is one of the major tasks, with attention paid to the application of information technology and digital transformation to enhance the labour supply-demand connectivity.

To recover the labour market and improve personnel quality, the ministry will pay more attention to vocational training and develop a skilled workforce.

The action plan was adopted after the Government issued Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP on tasks and solutions to implement the plan on socio-economic development and state budget estimate for 2022.

VSS works to ensure rights, interests of people amid COVID-19

Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has made efforts to complete its tasks while effectively rolling out policies in support of employees and employers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Amid the pandemic, the VSS has kept a close watch on the latest situation and quickly implemented flexible solutions to ensure the rights and interests of participants, helping to consolidate the public’s confidence in the social welfare policies of the Party and the State.

Notably, the aid package worth over VNĐ30 trillion earmarked from the unemployment insurance fund, the biggest-ever of its kind in cash, has been rolled out.  

VSS General Director Nguyễn Thế Mạnh said the sector had mobilised all resources to speed up the disbursement of the package, made use of IT and minimised procedures.

At a recent working session with the VSS, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said the sector had followed guidelines of the Party, National Assembly, Government and PM, and closely coordinated with ministries and agencies to build and consolidate policies on social, health and unemployment insurance.

Specifically, it has joined efforts to issue and implement policies towards employees and employers affected by the pandemic in a timely and effective manner.

By the end of 2021, the number of social insurance participants was more than 16.5 million, up 2.1 per cent from 2020, while 13.4 million others joined unemployment insurance, a year-on-year rise of 0.4 per cent, and 88.8 million participated in health insurance, up 0.9 per cent.

The number of voluntary social insurance participants also increased by 28 per cent to 1.4 million last year, surpassing the set target by 1.94 per cent. — VNS