The Vinh Long Provincial Labor Federation has just organized a social criticism conference on the draft Resolution stipulating the level of support for preschool children who are children of workers and laborers working in industrial parks; preschool teachers working in private and semi-public preschool education institutions where industrial parks are located in the province.
It is noteworthy that the conference agreed to propose increasing the support level for preschool children who are children of workers from 160,000 VND/month to 300,000 VND/month; and at the same time increasing the support level for preschool teachers from 800,000 VND/month to 1.2 million VND/month to contribute to ensuring life.
In fact, not only Vinh Long, but many localities with large industrial parks such as Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, Da Nang... have also issued policies to support preschool children who are children of workers and teachers at private institutions.
However, the current popular support level of these localities still only ranges from 160,000 to 240,000 VND/child/month and about 800,000 to 1 million VND/month for teachers.
Meanwhile, the cost of sending children to children's homes in areas with a large concentration of workers is usually at 1 to 2 million VND/month, not including food and other arising expenses.
Placed in that context, the proposal to increase the support level to 300,000 VND/month in Vinh Long must first of all be recognized and highly appreciated. This is a step forward compared to the general level, showing listening and proactively adjusting policies according to the reality of workers' lives.
However, the biggest concern for many worker families with young children is not much about whether the support level increases by 100,000 or 200,000 VND per month, but whether they can find a safe place to send their children, be well-nourished and feel secure enough to go to work or not.
Current reality shows that in many industrial parks, the public preschool system is still lacking, small private facilities account for the majority, and the quality is uneven.
Most workers have to accept sending their children to places where conditions are still limited, or have to pay fees higher than their ability.
In that situation, a monthly support of a few hundred thousand VND is necessary to help reduce some burden, but it is not enough to solve the root of the problem, it cannot replace a childcare system that is qualified, has enough space and is reliable enough.
For local authorities and businesses, building a childcare system that meets standards, has enough space and is reliable enough for workers' children is also part of a strategy to attract and retain labor.
A locality with a good kindergarten system, reasonable costs, where workers can feel secure sending their children, will have a very clear advantage in stabilizing human resources.
Conversely, if workers have to fend for themselves with the worry of children, from finding a place to send them to worrying about costs to worrying about safety, then moving to another place with better conditions is understandable.
In the context of the labor market shifting from "job seekers" to "job seekers", factors such as housing, schools, childcare services... are increasingly becoming decisive factors.
Businesses can increase wages to attract labor, but if the locality does not create stable living conditions, it is very difficult to retain them for a long time.
Only when these problems are solved will policies to support workers' children be truly meaningful and comprehensive.
