世界银行-扩大越南自愿社会保险计划的覆盖范围_见解和建议（英）_98页_3mb

Summary of "Expanding Coverage in Vietnam's Voluntary Social Insurance Scheme: Insights and Recommendations"

Core Content

Vietnam's Voluntary Social Insurance (VSI) scheme aims to provide social protection to informal sector workers, who constitute a significant portion of the labor force. Despite the country's economic growth, the informal sector remains large, with around 76% of all workers and 55-60% of non-agricultural workers still not covered by mandatory social insurance. This poses a challenge for the VSI, as it is designed to offer coverage against old age and death, but lacks short-term benefits and employer cost-sharing, which are present in the compulsory scheme.

The voluntary scheme, introduced in 2006 and implemented in 2008, requires participants to pay 22% of their chosen income level, which cannot be below the rural poverty line (VND 1,500,000/person/month). Since 2018, the government has introduced targeted subsidies to make the scheme more accessible, especially for the poorest households. These subsidies range from 30% to 10% of the minimum contribution level, depending on the poverty category.

Main Points

• Coverage Target: Vietnam aims to achieve 60% coverage of the labor force and 60% of older adults by 2030 through Resolution 28.
• Informal Sector Challenge: The rapid growth of the gig economy and the persistence of informal employment make it difficult to achieve these targets without expanding the voluntary scheme.
• Current Coverage: As of December 2023, only 271,000 individuals are enrolled in the voluntary scheme, representing about 1.4% of the total labor force.
• Design Differences: The voluntary scheme offers fewer benefits than the compulsory scheme and does not include employer cost-sharing. It is a defined benefit (DB) scheme, similar to the compulsory one, but lacks short-term benefits and employer support.
• State Support: The state provides subsidies to voluntary scheme participants for up to 10 years, with the highest support for the poorest households.
• Awareness and Perception: Scheme awareness is low, especially regarding specific benefits and government incentives. Word of mouth is the most effective awareness channel, but digital tools and clear communication are needed to improve understanding.
• Delivery Challenges: There is a heavy reliance on VSS agents for outreach and registration, which can be costly. Digital tools and self-registration options are underutilized.
• Preferences and Incentives: There is heterogeneity in preferences for benefits, with some groups favoring short-term benefits like maternity or sickness insurance. Monetary incentives, such as subsidies, are important but not sufficient on their own.
• Need for Innovation: The report highlights the need for innovation in design, delivery, and incentives to expand coverage effectively.

Key Recommendations

1. Design and Incentives

• Improve Predictability: Ensure clarity in minimum contribution levels and manage expectations around increases.
• Enhance Generosity of Subsidies: Increase the amount of state support and raise awareness of its availability.
• Introduce Short-Term Benefits: Offer bundled benefits, including maternity or sickness insurance, to make the scheme more attractive.
• Early Pensions: Provide a flat benefit or social pension at an earlier age for consistent contributors.

2. Outreach and Business Processes

• Unique Branding: Develop a distinct brand identity for the voluntary scheme to differentiate it from other VSS programs.
• Digital Integration: Encourage the use of digital platforms for registration and contribution to reduce costs and improve efficiency.
• Streamline Forms: Simplify registration forms by removing redundant data fields and including optional fields.
• Auto-Debit Options: Identify aggregators that can auto-debit contributions from bank accounts.
• Awareness Campaigns: Use in-person testimonials and word of mouth for awareness, while also developing digital tools like a pension estimator and informative leaflets.
• Monitor Progress: Implement a dashboard to track digital take-up and set provincial targets.
• Reduce Paperwork: Utilize data from the Health Insurance database to auto-populate registration forms.

3. Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation

• Strengthen M&E: Enhance monitoring and evaluation at all administrative levels to improve scheme design and delivery.
• Rewards Program: Introduce a rewards and recognition program for high-performing provinces and districts.
• Collaborate with GSO: Work with the General Statistics Office to integrate questions about the voluntary scheme into nationally representative surveys.
• Impact Evaluations: Conduct impact evaluations to assess the effectiveness of changes in the 2024 SI Law.
• Data Analytics: Use data analytics to refine informal outreach strategies at the provincial level.

Conclusion

Expanding coverage in Vietnam's voluntary social insurance scheme requires a multi-faceted approach that includes improving the design and incentives, enhancing delivery systems through digital integration and agent networks, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. These efforts are crucial for achieving the 2030 coverage targets and ensuring sustainable support for the aging population.

Key Figures and Tables

• Table 1: Revenue, Premium, and State Support for the voluntary scheme.
• Table 2: Additional support from local governments.
• Table 3: Premium and state support in monthly VND.
• Table 4: Remuneration for VSS collection service organizations.
• Table 5: Online public service levels.
• Table 6: OLS Regression results with LASSO-selected variables.
• Table 7: Pension scheme of the voluntary SI.
• Table 8: Summary of focus areas and corresponding recommendations.

Key Findings from the Survey

• Participation Status: Correlated with socio-economic characteristics, with lower participation among informal workers.
• Awareness: Low awareness of specific scheme rules and benefits, despite high awareness through word of mouth.
• Registration and Contribution Channels: Most contributors rely on VSS agents, though digital channels are underused.
• Preferences for Benefits: Short-term benefits like maternity or sickness insurance are preferred by different genders.
• Subsidy Awareness: Very low awareness of state support and the ability to estimate future pension benefits.
• Willingness to Participate: Increased with higher state subsidies and linked designs (non-contributory and contributory).
• Transaction Ease: Participants find it easier to perform transactions through agents than through digital means.
• Trust and Expectations: Trust is critical, and unmet expectations can reduce participation.

Institutional and Legislative Context

• VSS Structure: The Vietnam Social Security Agency (VSS) operates at the national level, with provincial and district offices managing implementation.
• Recent Reforms: The 2024 SI Law revision includes reducing the vesting period for pensions from 20 to 15 years and adjusting retirement ages.
• Administrative Changes: The scheme has undergone several administrative and legislative changes to improve coverage and efficiency.

Conclusion

The voluntary social insurance scheme in Vietnam is a critical tool for expanding social protection to the informal sector, but it faces challenges in awareness, design, and delivery. A strategic focus on innovation, digital integration, and targeted incentives is essential to improve participation and ensure the long-term sustainability of the scheme.