Article 41 of the 2013 Law on Employment stipulates that the principle of unemployment insurance is to ensure risk sharing among unemployment insurance participants. However, many workers, although paying unemployment insurance throughout their working life, do not enjoy any unemployment insurance benefits until retirement.
At 54 years old, still able to work, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (a worker in Nam Dinh) has decided to quit her job to receive unemployment benefits. Because in just under a year, she will have paid enough social insurance for 20 years to receive a pension.
Ms. Phuong said that the monthly social insurance payment at the company is quite high, so she quit her job to receive unemployment benefits because she has never received this benefit in more than 19 years of working.
“According to current regulations, I will receive 12 months of unemployment. With the salary paid for insurance for the last 6 months, I can receive 9 million VND in unemployment benefits each month. If I don’t receive it, it would be quite a waste,” said Ms. Phuong.
Sharing more, the female worker said that after receiving all her unemployment benefits, she will return to work at the company if the Board of Directors needs her. Another option that Ms. Phuong also considered was to pay voluntary social insurance for the last year to reach 20 years and receive a pension.
Ms. Pham Thi Chin (55 years old, Nam Dinh) started working at the age of 30. After many job changes, Ms. Chin has paid social insurance for 21 years but has never received unemployment benefits: "Every time I quit my job, after half a month, at most a month, I have started working at a new place, so I am not eligible to complete the procedures and receive unemployment benefits."
The female worker plans to work for two more years, when she is old enough to start retiring. Thinking about the unemployment insurance money she has paid for the past 21 years, Ms. Chin cannot help but wonder and regret.
"If you receive a pension but do not receive unemployment benefits, it would be a pity for the monthly contributions. I hope that the upcoming law will be amended so that retirees who have not received unemployment insurance can receive benefits," Ms. Chin said.
Sharing more, Ms. Chin hopes to receive 6 months of benefits, equal to half of the highest level that workers are entitled to. The female worker's other option is to receive back the amount she has paid since participating in unemployment insurance after multiplying it by the inflation compensation coefficient, similar to a one-time social insurance payment.
For Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh (50 years old, Nam Dinh) - a fabric cutter, quitting her job before paying 20 years of insurance was a difficult decision. Currently, Ms. Thanh has paid social insurance for 17 years and always wants to pay for a long time to receive a high pension when she retires. Ms. Thanh has never received unemployment insurance.
Therefore, Ms. Thanh also hopes that the agency amending the Law will consider and pay special attention to cases that are about to or have paid 20 years but have not received unemployment benefits.
“In my opinion, unemployment benefits should be calculated according to a suitable formula for those who have paid social insurance for 20 years. This will avoid the situation of quitting jobs to receive unemployment benefits, helping workers feel secure in participating in social insurance for a long time,” Ms. Thanh shared her wish.
