The 2025 Employment Law, effective from January 1, 2026, has opened up a new mechanism to support workers from the Unemployment Insurance Fund in force majeure cases.
Accordingly, the Law stipulates that in cases of crisis, economic recession, natural disasters, fires, enemy disasters or dangerous epidemics, based on the actual situation and the surplus of the Fund, the Government stipulates the reduction of unemployment insurance contributions, cash support or other support.
Mr. Tran Tuan Tu - Head of the Unemployment Insurance Department, Department of Employment (Ministry of Home Affairs) - said that the new support mechanism from the Unemployment Insurance Fund in the 2025 Employment Law has been improved. Especially after the inadequacies arising from practice, especially the lesson of paying support regimes to workers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mr. Tu, in fact, during the period affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, support from the Unemployment Insurance Fund must go through many levels such as the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Government and the Prime Minister.
At that time, the Unemployment Insurance Fund had a surplus of about VND 89,000 billion, and supported more than 13 million workers with a budget of about VND 32,000 billion.
The support level is from 1.8 - 3.3 million VND, for both those who have paid unemployment insurance for 1 month, or those who have temporarily left the labor market, have received unemployment insurance, or have not received it but have paid for at least 1 month.
In addition, more than 346,000 employers have had their unemployment insurance contributions reduced from 1% to 0% in 12 months, with a budget of up to 9,200 billion VND. The total scale of support from the Unemployment Insurance Fund during the epidemic period is up to 41,000 billion VND.
Thus, the principle of unemployment insurance is high risk sharing. However, policy enjoyment only applies to those who participate and contribute to the fund, not paying for subjects outside this category," Mr. Tu said.
