In his opening speech at the conference, Mr. Tran Hai Nam, Deputy Director General of the Department of Social Insurance at MOLISA, emphasized the importance of social insurance and social welfare policies, highlighting their pivotal role in the social security system and their connection to the rights and benefits of workers. Additionally, Mr. Nam shared information related to the draft law amendments discussed in the National Assembly on November 23rd. He mentioned that the discussions among parliamentary delegates aimed at shaping the best policies for workers. Therefore, at this conference, the organizers continued to gather feedback from enterprises to address any concerns, providing additional input to MOLISA for the purpose of refining certain aspects of the Social Insurance Law. The goal is to better safeguard the rights of participants and contribute to ensuring sustainable social security.

The conference covered various topics, including the introduction of new provisions in the 2023 social insurance policies and laws, important considerations in implementing social insurance and social welfare policies, points to note in the approval and resolution of social insurance regimes, collection and payment of social insurance, necessary amendments to the Social Insurance Law, labor contracts and salaries legislation, as well as common challenges faced by enterprises and workers in complying with the Social Insurance Law and related legal regulations.

The Conference Overview

The conference focused on dialogue with enterprises to address queries and acknowledge the suggestions and proposals of employers and workers. Delegates had the opportunity to ask many questions and raise concerns to the organizers. The majority of these queries pertained to issues enterprises currently face in implementing social insurance policies at their units. These concerns included regulations regarding hazardous and dangerous occupations, occupational accidents, occupational diseases, sick leave duration, social insurance contribution amounts, and the procedures for receiving unemployment benefits.

In response to the raised issues, representatives from the Ministry and the Social Security office of Lao Cai province engaged in frank discussions, provided specific and in-depth guidance, and offered solutions. This helped representatives of employing units gain a clearer understanding of regulations related to social insurance policies, labor, and employment, ensuring their proper implementation at the units and contributing to safeguarding the rightful rights and benefits of workers.

Given the specific characteristics of being a mountainous province in the North with a majority of ethnic minorities, numerous remote villages, sparsely populated areas, and relatively low living standards and education levels, people in this region often face economic difficulties with unstable incomes. The Social Security Office of Lao Cai province has identified communication as pivotal in effectively implementing the development of participants in social insurance and health insurance policies. Consequently, recent efforts in developing participant numbers in voluntary social insurance and household health insurance have yielded fairly positive results. According to the report from the Social Security Office of Lao Cai province, there are currently 70,125 social insurance participants, among which 61,822 are mandatory participants, accounting for 15.44% of the labor force; 8,303 are voluntary participants, accounting for 2.07% of the labor force. The number of unemployment insurance participants is 53,598, making up 13.38% of the labor force. The total number of health insurance participants is 716,625, reaching 94.2%, with a coverage rate of 91.88% of the population.

In the final months of 2023, to increase participation rates, Lao Cai Social Security needs to intensify communication efforts regarding the direction, policies, laws, and the humane values of social and health insurance policies. This aims to ensure flexibility, diversity, and innovation while enhancing awareness, support, and mobilization of the population to effectively participate in social and health insurance programs./.