Digital economy helps many individuals operate their jobs independently
Many years of online sales on e-commerce platforms and social networks, Ms. Nguyen Thi Linh (Hanoi) almost handles the entire work herself, from posting products, answering customers, closing applications to monitoring revenue.
According to Ms. Linh, AI tools currently support writing content, replying to messages, and compiling orders, helping one person to operate many business stages. However, she is still concerned when switching from small business households to formal businesses because of worries about additional procedures and costs.
If the procedures are simple, online declaration is convenient, and the cost is reasonable, many people will be more willing to register. Small businesses are most afraid of complicated paperwork" - Ms. Linh shared.
Mr. Tran Van Hung - a graphic design freelancer in Bac Ninh - said that many freelancers have stable incomes but still operate in the form of individuals because there is no suitable business model.
According to Mr. Hung, thanks to digital platforms, one person can find customers, design and manage finances themselves. However, if a business is established and has to go through many procedures, many people will continue to choose to work freelance.
The development of the digital economy is helping many individuals sell goods themselves, provide services and operate their jobs independently without the need for a large business apparatus as before.
Gradually "officializing" individual business households
Deputy Director of the Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises (Ministry of Science and Technology) Pham Duc Nghiem said that "One Person Company" (OPC) is a business model owned and operated professionally by an individual in the digital environment.
Mr. Nghiem believes that the nature of this model is to gradually "officialize" individual business households, online sellers, freelancers or freelancers operating in the informal sector into entities with more transparent legal status.
The core difference lies in the fact that technology allows an individual to effectively operate many functions such as accounting, marketing or sales that previously required the entire business apparatus. This model is also highly flexible, reducing dependence on physical business locations.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, this model can help people participate more deeply in the formal economic sector, while creating conditions for individual businesses to access state support policies.
From a management perspective, the model is expected to expand the tax base, reduce administrative costs thanks to electronic management and real-time data; thereby promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the digital economy.
However, many business households and freelancers are still hesitant to switch to formal businesses due to procedural pressure, taxes and operating costs.
According to Mr. Pham Duc Nghiem, Resolution No. 86/NQ-CP does not set a target of forming about 1 million "one-person enterprises". However, the Ministry of Science and Technology identifies this as a key task to promote the digital economy and professionalize traditional business activities.
To implement it, the Ministry of Science and Technology will coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to research and propose a simplified tax and accounting mechanism, in order to reduce the administrative burden for individual businesses.
In parallel with that, digital platforms supporting accounting, tax, financial management and human resources will be developed, helping small and micro enterprises optimize resources. The AI application legal assistant system is also oriented to be deployed to the grassroots level, helping people access information and carry out procedures more conveniently.
Along with support policies, communication is considered an important factor to change perceptions about new business models, helping people consider participating in the formal economic sector as a development opportunity, rather than just a management obligation.
