Agreeing with the new policy under the revised Law on Employment effective from January 1, 2026, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong - former Director of the Institute of Social Labor Science said that to have jobs for the elderly, specific solutions are needed for implementation.
In particular, the first requirement is to simplify loan procedures in the direction of streamlining documents, prioritizing online registration or through local unions; exempting or reducing the requirement for collateral for small loans, in accordance with the individual startup model.
In addition, there must be career counseling and business planning for the elderly by organizing soft skills training courses, financial planning, small business model management; supporting the personalization of career paths based on capacity, preferences and local conditions.
Ms. Lan Huong also noted the coordination between authorities and mass organizations, the army and localities. Accordingly, the Veterans Association, the Military Region Command... can play a bridging role, introducing eligible subjects; creating a network of support after loans such as sharing knowledge, connecting markets, sharing experiences...
For borrowers who are elderly, preferential interest rates and grace period; apply low interest rates, reasonable grace period so that borrowers have time to stabilize operations before repaying the debt; can exempt interest in the first 6/12 months if the business model meets the criteria for sustainable development...
In the digital age, AI is on the rise, so we also need to communicate strongly, easily reaching out to the elderly by using social networking platforms, military television channels, community activities to promote policies; sharing the success stories of those who have borrowed capital and successfully started businesses to create inspiration, Ms. Lan Huong emphasized.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment clearly stated the importance and significance of "the second life" for retired and elderly workers.
We must correctly assess the position and role of the elderly, many of whom are trained and have skills and work experience; understand and comply with the law; always desire to work and contribute... Not to mention, the number of elderly people in the country is very large (about 16 million people), of which more than 7 million elderly people are directly working and doing business (including more than 50% of the elderly in the age group of 60-69; more than 19,9% of people aged 70-79 are still working, generating income); many elderly people have been successfully starting a business, affirming their position and role..., Mr. Trung shared.
Mr. Trung said that the new regulations of the revised Law on Employment demonstrate concern, recognition and assessment of the employment issue for the elderly in the context of population aging so that they can create jobs and participate in the labor market on their own.
We also hope to have specific policies and solutions to support the elderly in creating jobs or participating in the labor market. Policies must aim at reaching the right target and taking advantage of the "in-the-middle" human resource group: special experts, long-standing knowledge... so that they can continue to contribute in their own way to their own lives and to society," said Mr. Le Quang Trung.
The 2025 Employment Law, No. 74/2025/QH15, was passed by the National Assembly on June 16, 2025, effective from January 1, 2026.
Accordingly, Article 13 of the 2025 Law on Employment stipulates the policy of job support for elderly workers as follows:
Article 13. Employment support policy for elderly workers
1. To borrow capital to support job creation, maintenance and expansion according to the provisions of this Law.
2. Support for training, fostering to improve vocational skills, support for participating in assessment, and issuance of national vocational skills certificates according to the provisions of this Law.
3. Based on the socio-economic conditions in each period and the ability to balance the budget, the State has policies to support job creation, retraining, and vocational training for workers to adapt to population aging.
