General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly deputies attended the meeting.

Delegate Tran Hong Nguyen (Binh Thuan delegation) said that the current income and living conditions of workers are not guaranteed, and requested the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to find a fundamental solution.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Thuy (Bac Kan delegation) was concerned about the low employment opportunities for female workers over 40 years old after losing their jobs, leading to the risk of these subjects having to withdraw their social insurance at one time, affecting their long-term social security. The delegate asked Minister Dao Ngoc Dung to clarify solutions to support these subjects in the coming time.

Responding to delegates, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said that the average income of workers in the first quarter of 2023 was 7.9 million VND - an increase of 2.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. Of which, basic labor-intensive industries such as textiles and garments were 7.2 million VND, electronics were 9 million VND.

The business system has made great efforts, sharing with the motto: When business progresses, we enjoy together, when difficulties arise, we share. Although there has not been much improvement, basically, the minimum wage and average income policies have ensured compliance with legal regulations.

"Regarding the issue of cadres, civil servants, and public employees transferring to work in the private sector and the Minister of Home Affairs has responded, I would like to personally answer some part of this issue. If we want workers in the public and private sectors to be stable, the important thing is to ensure stable income and jobs, wages must be enough to live on, and income must be guaranteed for themselves and their families," the head of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs stated his opinion.

Minister Dao Ngoc Dung: Workers' salaries and incomes are still low, life is still difficult, especially for female workers in industrial zones.

However, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung admitted that workers' salaries and incomes are still low, life is still difficult, especially for female workers in industrial zones.

In particular, regarding policies for female workers, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung shared that on the evening of June 5, the Minister re-read the report on the footwear and textile sectors. A month ago, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung was assigned by the Prime Minister to inspect a number of localities.

“Living and eating with workers, I see that most of the workers in the textile and footwear industries are female, even in some industries, up to 80% are female. The majority of those who have had their work cut out or lost their jobs are female workers. In the recent wave of more than 3 million people returning to their hometowns, most of them are mothers with their young children. Unable to survive in the city, the workers had to return,” the Minister confided.

Therefore, talking about job opportunities for female workers over 40 years old to avoid losing their jobs, Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said that workers must be trained early, before they are unemployed. After the age of 40, it is really difficult for workers in the textile industry because "their eyes are dim, their legs are slow, and their productivity is low".

“Therefore, there must be solutions to care for older female workers such as creating conditions for businesses to produce, creating stable jobs, taking care of essential social welfare, proactively providing early and remote training; localities also need to have mechanisms and policies to create jobs for female workers to adapt to new conditions,” Minister Dao Ngoc Dung proposed solutions.

NGUYEN THAO