Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Deputy Director of the Department of Social Protection, said that there are now more than seven million people with disabilities in the country. Ensuring social welfare for people with disabilities is therefore extremely important. “The State has good policies, such as employment support to help people with disabilities join the labour market, livelihood support, social insurance, health insurance… Thanks to this, 800,000 people with disabilities have received support…” – Toan said.

According to research, the more severe a person’s disability, the further away the door to ”good” jobs and ”formal” jobs becomes. Photo: VIET LONG

However, according to research by the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs (Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (Germany), people with disabilities in Vietnam have poor livelihood capital and lack the financial capital to produce and do business and raise their incomes. People with disabilities have limited opportunities to go to school, and their time in education is shorter than that of workers without disabilities; the higher the level of education, the greater this gap becomes.

In particular, the more severe a person’s disability, the further away the door to ”good” jobs and ”formal” jobs becomes. Workers with disabilities mainly work in agriculture, a sector with low incomes and harsher production conditions than other sectors…

The research team therefore believes it is necessary to renew the approach to people with disabilities and expand support policies to all groups of people with disabilities, based on basic principles of education, support and encouragement to rise up. Support people with disabilities in accessing education, health care services, health insurance, social insurance and job creation support activities…

In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the role of people with disabilities and their organisations. Create conditions for people with disabilities to take part in State agencies and ministries, and on the boards of companies and enterprises…

VIET LONG