Chu Mạnh Sinh, deputy director of the Việt Nam Social Security, gives a speech at the session. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — The State needs comprehensive solutions to promote economic growth, expand production, create jobs to increase income and improve living standards for workers to limit one-time social insurance withdrawal.

Chu Mạnh Sinh, deputy director of the Việt Nam Social Security (VSS), made the statement at the 18th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee last week.

He said that more than four million people nationwide withdrew social insurance in the 2016-21 period, excluding those resolved by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security.

The number of people receiving one-time social insurance increased year by year, with an average annual growth rate of about 11.6 per cent.

Thus, in the past five years, on average, about 800,000 people withdraw their social insurance once a year.

Statistics of the VSS showed that the number of one-time social insurance beneficiaries this year was 895,500 people, up 3.7 per cent compared with last year.

Speaking about the reasons for the problem, Sinh said that the COVID-19 pandemic had placed a burden on workers over the past two years.

Many people depended on the one-time social insurance withdrawal to cover daily expenses.

Sinh said that the rapid increase of one-time social insurance payments was closely related to socio-economic development.

Therefore, Sinh said, when amending the Law on Social Insurance, it is necessary to gradually reduce the number of years of paying social insurance to enjoy the retirement policy, creating favourable conditions for workers to have pensions.

The VSS has worked with central and local media agencies to educate workers about the disadvantages when leaving the social insurance system, and why they should not receive one-time social insurance payments.

They also strengthened education on the benefits for pensioners, so that people would actively participate in voluntary social insurance instead of enjoying one-time social insurance withdrawals.

Another effective solution that VSS applies is to ask local social security to educate people on the issue when receiving their dossiers.

“In the first nine months of this year, as many as 15,068 people continued to buy social insurance after being encouraged and persuaded by social insurance officers. That means persuasion is very effective,” said Sinh.

The VSS will continue to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour and concerned agencies to further research and propose long-term solutions to minimise the number of workers withdrawing social insurance.

Nguyễn Thúy Anh, chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Social Affairs, said that the number of people withdrawing social insurance once increased due to many different reasons, but no effective solution was found.

The issue should receive more attention when amending the Law on Social Insurance, she said. — VNS