Labourers from informal sector to benefit from second support package

Vietnamese street vendors

Labourers from the informal sector who have been seriously affected by COVID-19 pandemic will benefit from the second support package proposed by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

According to the ministry, the package targets business households and small companies to help them recover, maintain and develop their business and production, thus improving income for labourers.

The MoLISA said labourers from the informal sector are a vulnerable group that face high risks but have access to few support policies.

Statistics in 2018 showed that 19.3 million people worked in the informal sector, accounting for 35.6 percent of the total employed labourers in the country. Their average income was 4.8 million VND (nearly 208 USD) per month, equivalent to only two thirds of those in the formal sector.

So far, a number of policies have been designed to support the group, including vocational training for rural labourers, employment consultations services, voluntary social insurance, and those related to labour safety and hygiene./.