In the “new normal”, social security assurance plays a vital role in winning the pandemic fight and recovering the economy. Therefore, VSS needs to ensure accessibility to the social safety net programs.

Illustrative image (internet)

Be active and adaptive

Promoting digital transformation with compliance with COVID-19 prevention and control principles, VSS continuously innovates its communication methods to increase the number of social and health insurance participants. Accordingly, many provincial social security offices had been conducting livestream campaigns livestream on social networks such as Facebook or Zalo to propagate voluntary social insurance, exchange information and promptly solve problems of people and businesses. Besides, local social security offices actively mobilize and encourage pensioners and social insurance beneficiaries to switch to receiving salaries through bank transfers; implement instructions of installing and using VssID app for social and health insurance participants.

According to the survey, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of people’s interest in and studying digital transformation has increased 10 times in comparison with the beginning of 2020. This is an opportunity for VSS to continue promoting digital transformation, including developing VssID app and making the policies approach and meet people’s needs.

Be determined to complete the goal of universal social security

Under the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses having difficulties in manufacturing and doing business causes employees to lose their jobs, which results in a decrease in the number of social, health and unemployment insurance participants. However, in that context, the whole VSS focuses on expanding the coverage of voluntary social insurance and household health insurance and achieves encouraging results.

Moreover, in order to support businesses to overcome difficult periods towards the goal of increasing the number of social insurance participants, and implement Resolution 116/NQ-CP of the Government and Decision 28/2021/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, VSS has noticed over 340,000 employers about the reduction of unemployment insurance premiums in the period of 12 months from October 1^st, 2021 with around 9.63 million employees and 7,600 billion VND in total. By October 4^th, 2021, VSS has substantially completed reducing the unemployment insurance contribution rate from 1% to 0% for employers; at the same time, promptly transferred the support allowance from the unemployment insurance fund to the accounts of employees in need.

It can be seen that the current challenges require VSS to apply new approaches and methods to adapt and perform its tasks well. With the best effort and highest sense of responsibility, VSS will continue closely coordinating with ministries, departments and branches, developing internal capabilities to complete the assigned targets and plans in 2021, and together with the whole country thriving in the “new normal”.