According to Do Ngoc Tho, an official from the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), close to 2.12 trillion VND (91 million USD) have been paid in unemployment allowances from January to March.

About 18 billion VND has been spent to financially support 8,160 people unemployed to pursue vocational training, a 10.1 percent increase from the same period last year.

The pandemic is taking toll, directly or indirectly, on various sectors, such as tourism, services, transportation, retail, textile and garment, foreign trade, investment, and finance-banking, among others.

The shrinking production and shutdown of services have resulted in significant job cuts. So unemployment insurance is playing a crucial part in providing relief for affected workers and their families and maintaining social and economic stability.

The Vietnamese Law on Employment stipulates that the unemployed are subject to a monthly allowance that equals 60 percent of their average monthly wage of six consecutive months before they become unemployed on which unemployment insurance premiums are based.

The duration of the unemployment allowance receipt is based on the number of months of payment of unemployment insurance premiums but must not exceed 12 months, according to the law.

At the same time, the unemployed would be provided with free job counseling and recommendations.

Meanwhile, employers may receive financial aid in organizing training courses to improve occupational skills of their workers./.VNA