Holidays are still hard to make a living
During the National Day holiday on September 2nd, when many people return to their hometowns, travel or spend time resting with their families, in the Dong Xuan market area (Hanoi City), Mr. Vu Hai, from Ninh Binh, still regularly pushes a cart selling beef jelly and cotton candy to earn a living.
Having been attached to this job for more than 10 years, Mr. Hai said that holidays are the time when the number of people flocking to the central area of Hanoi increases, but he still has to take advantage of selling goods to earn extra income.
Previously, he used to do many general labor jobs such as construction worker, porter. However, due to poor health, he no longer had enough strength to do heavy work, so he switched to street vending.
Every evening, from about 6 pm to midnight, he cycles around the market area to sell goods. On average, each session, revenue reaches about 200,000 - 250,000 VND. After deducting raw material costs, the remaining amount is not much.
Unstable income makes him have to calculate every household expense. His wife works as a worker in the countryside, while his son is in his 3rd year of university in Hanoi, so living and study expenses still need to be maintained.
For older workers who do not have a pension or stable income, continuing to work on holidays is not only to earn more but also a way to maintain daily life.
Creating an initial boost for the "silver economy
In that context, the Ministry of Home Affairs is studying a plan to reduce the age for enjoying social pension benefits from 75 to 70 years old.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang (National Economics University) said that the expansion of the scope of benefits needs to be implemented step by step, prioritizing people without pensions and without stable income sources.
According to him, the long-term goal is not to leave anyone behind, but policies must still be consistent with budget capacity and have a clear roadmap.
After each implementation phase, it is necessary to evaluate based on actual data to continue adjusting policies, reducing disparities and ensuring social justice.
In the next 5-10 years, the number of elderly people will continue to increase. Therefore, according to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang, the preparation of resources for the social security system needs to be implemented right now.
As Vietnam enters the aging population structure, social insurance funds, pensions, social allowances and welfare resources need to be strongly prepared.
To have resources for social security, the economy must continue to develop, creating sustainable revenue for social policies" - he said.
According to experts, it is necessary to build population scenarios for the next 10-20 years, calculating the number of elderly people, life expectancy and especially the number of healthy life years.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang said that reducing the age of enjoying social pension benefits to 70 years old may create an initial boost for the "silver economy".
According to him, the elderly are not only a group that needs care but can also become a resource and driving force for economic development if appropriately facilitated.
Many people aged 60-70 are still able to continue working. In the digital economy, some jobs do not require too high speed but require carefulness, accuracy and experience - the advantages of older people.
In addition, the needs of the elderly for healthcare, supporting equipment, care services, tourism, housing, technology and suitable financial products are also increasing.
If the State has the right support policies, businesses will see the market and boldly invest" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thuong Lang assessed.
