Employment and social welfare were among the focal points of the Vietnamese Government’s socio-economic development programme.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, made this statement at the 100 th session of International Labour Organisation (ILO) General Assembly in Geneva on June 14.

Ngan said Vietnam was taking many measures to achieve targets in employment and social welfare which were combined in the country’s socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-2015 period, aiming to effectively manage labour markets, strengthening capacity and dialogue with partners to ensure more job opportunities with better quality outcomes, minimum social welfare conditions and access to international labour standards.

The Government also made efforts to raise labour management capacity, develop a labour market forecast system, employment services and a labour inspection system, to provide vocational training for rural workers and employment for young people, women, the disabled and locals in poor areas and ethnic minority regions, she said.

Ngan added that recently, the Government had promulgated Resolution 80 on sustainable poverty reduction for the 2011-2020 period, as well as researched to apply the United Nations Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I).

At present, the Vietnamese Government was actively working to curb inflation and stabilise the macro-economy, ensuring social welfare for the people, including support money for low-income earners and poor households, encouraging initiatives for self-employment and employment in the unofficial economic sector, she said.

Vietnam spoke highly of ILO efforts in adopting a new legal tool to protect housemaids and proposals to further expand coverage of social insurance under the SPF-I.

The minister also thanked ILO member countries for electing Vietnam as an official member of the ILO governing body for the 2011-2014 period and said Vietnam will do its utmost to successfully undertake this role.

The same day, Mai Van Chinh, Deputy President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, held working sessions with the presidents of trade unions from the Republic of Korea and Australia, and other ILO officials./.