According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Employment Services (DVVL), from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2024, a total of 710,324 people filed for unemployment benefits in the city. Of these, 690,711 were approved, and 43,888 had their benefits terminated. The monthly job status update saw 2,782,503 submissions, and 2,001 people completed the procedure to transfer their benefits to another locality.
Ms. Nguyen Van Hanh Thuc, Director of the DVVL Center, shared that the minimum and maximum periods for unemployment benefit entitlement are three months and 12 months, respectively. On average, during one benefit period, a job seeker has to visit the DVVL Center between three and 14 times. Given the large number of people applying, this has put immense pressure on the center in terms of customer service and paperwork processing.
Job seekers have to visit the Employment Service Center between three and 14 times during one benefit period
Following Government Decision 06/QD-TTg, since 2022, the DVVL Center has been accepting and processing applications for unemployment benefits online via the National Public Service Portal (DVC). In 2023, they have been utilizing both the National DVC and the Ho Chi Minh City DVC. However, this approach is inconsistent with the current Labor Law and the draft amended Labor Law. Both laws stipulate that job seekers must submit their applications in person at the DVVL Center.
Consequently, even when applications are submitted online, the DVVL Center still needs to manually update the information on the DVC portals. This adds to the workload of the center’s limited staff, who also have to carry out other functions like career counseling, job referrals, vocational training, and approving benefit claims.
Given these challenges, Ms. Thuc suggested that the amended Labor Law should specify a uniform method of application submission, either in person or online. Maintaining both options, as is currently the case, will create difficulties for the implementing authorities.
Dr. Hoang Thi Minh Tam, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Law, recommended reconsidering the requirement for job seekers to submit their applications for unemployment benefits in person. This suggestion aligns with the spirit of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on reforming social insurance policies and Decision No. 1333/QD-BHXH on digitizing paperwork and administrative procedures related to social insurance in Vietnam.
According to Dr. Tam, promoting the use of information technology for receiving applications and issuing decisions on unemployment insurance is a global trend. Requiring in-person submission is rather rigid, and providing an online option would benefit job seekers and align with the abovementioned resolutions and decisions.
To facilitate the enjoyment of benefits by job seekers and reduce the burden on implementing agencies, Dr. Nguyen Tat Nam, former Head of the Labor, Wage, and Social Insurance Division of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, proposed that the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs and the Government integrate the National Public Service Portal and the Ho Chi Minh City Online Public Service Portal. This integration would allow job seekers to submit their applications for unemployment benefits exclusively through the National Portal (managed by the Government Office).
Additionally, Dr. Nam suggested employing new technologies and policy recommendations to support the digitization of the unemployment benefit claim process. He also recommended simplifying the conditions and paperwork required to claim benefits, as the necessary data about job seekers is already collected when they join the unemployment insurance program.
Furthermore, Dr. Nam emphasized the need for diverse career counseling and job referral services, integrating the labor market system, and utilizing professional staff and experts for both online and offline career counseling. These measures would benefit both job seekers and employers, facilitating their quick reintegration into the labor market.
The regulation requiring job seekers to physically report their job search status to the DVVL Center every month during the benefit period was inherited from the 2013 Labor Law. However, in the current context, this regulation is no longer practical. “There should be flexibility in allowing both in-person and online reporting to ease the process for job seekers during their benefit period,” Dr. Tam suggested. “This ensures that the implementation of unemployment insurance remains simple, convenient, and timely, fully safeguarding the rights of participants.”
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