Novel coronavirus could affect livelihood of 10mln workers in Vietnam

Vulnerable workers are especially exposed to economic risk, since most of them work informally in low-paid occupations, and are unlikely to be able to count on savings. Female workers are overrepresented in most sectors experiencing widespread reduction in economic activity.

Workers in the informal economy will be severely affected due to their lack of state-funded social safety nets, ILO stated in its briefing note released recently.

Millions of informal workers in the Southeast Asian nation do not have access to health insurance. In 2019, 38.1 million people were in informal employment.

The organization said that Vietnam has managed to contain the health crisis remarkably well over the first months of 2020 as the country adopted early and progressively more stringent measures to limit the spread of the infection.

As the COVID-19 situation developed, the Government of Vietnam implemented increasingly stringent measures that have proven effective in containing the health crisis.

The Government has regularly encouraged the population to apply social distancing in a progressively stricter manner. Schools closed at the beginning of February. Flows of inbound travelers have been reduced through suspension of visas upon arrival, mandatory quarantine, and eventually a ban on all international flights. Domestic travel has been minimized and transportation largely suspended both between and within provinces.

The measures adopted to confront the pandemic in Vietnam are affecting the country’s economic performance.

“These measures reduced economic activity for a period. In the meantime, countries across the world, and among them Vietnam’s top export partners are applying similar measures aimed at fighting the virus, with various degrees of stringency,” said ILO. 

► Vietnam eases nationwide social distancing campaign from April 23rd