Bac Ninh: Expanding voluntary social insurance coverage

BAC NINH - In recent years, the development of voluntary social insurance in Bac Ninh has achieved many positive results, contributing to the expansion of social security policies. However, in the informal sector - where there is a large concentration of freelance workers, mobilizing people to participate is still difficult, requiring the relevant authorities to continue to innovate propaganda and support so that people can confidently participate for a long time.

Strengthening propaganda work

Tien Phong Ward is one of the first localities in the province to implement the Peak Month to mobilize people to participate in health insurance in 2026; continue to mobilize people to participate in voluntary social insurance in 2025. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Head of Binh An residential group, said: "My wife and I have participated in voluntary social insurance for 5 years now. The experience of mobilizing is to clearly understand the policy to be able to analyze for people to see the long-term benefits: When you get old, you will have a pension, less dependent on your children and grandchildren... The propagandist also needs to grasp the economic situation and age of each household for the propaganda to be effective."

Provincial Social Insurance officers propagate policies and survey people's satisfaction level in Bac Giang ward.

According to Mr. Thanh, in 2023, in just one month of implementation, Binh An residential group mobilized 12 new cases, exceeding the assigned target; in 2024, there were 4 more participants. With 502 households and more than 2,000 people, the residential group set a target of 15-16 new participants in the 2025-2026 period. Mr. Thanh said that most people, after being thoroughly explained, voluntarily paid, in which many people chose to pay 5 years/time for convenience of accumulation.

In the same area of ​​Tien Phong ward, Mr. Nguyen Van Oanh, Head of Yen Khe residential group shared: "Young people working in enterprises have compulsory social insurance, but people over 60 years old are not eligible to participate. We request the Social Insurance agency to provide a detailed list of contribution levels and benefits to facilitate propaganda and mobilization of people."

Mr. Le Xuan Duong, Vice Chairman of Tien Phong Ward People's Committee, Head of the Steering Committee to mobilize people to participate in social insurance and voluntary health insurance, said: "The ward established propaganda teams to each residential area, organized direct dialogues to clearly analyze the benefits and support policies of the State."

Participating in voluntary social insurance brings peace of mind to people, ensuring a stable source of income when they retire or lose the ability to work. Participants have their pensions adjusted regularly like retired officials, civil servants, and public employees from the budget, and can flexibly choose the level and time of contribution suitable to their economic conditions. However, not everyone has time to participate in voluntary social insurance when they are still eligible. Mr. Nguyen Kim Bang (born in 1965, Dong Xuat village, Van Mon commune) shared: “I have been a freelancer for decades, sometimes my income is stable, sometimes it is unstable. Before, because I did not have access to information about voluntary social insurance, I did not know, now when I know about it, I am 60 years old. If only I had known earlier, I would have felt secure when I was old.”

Similarly, Ms. Nong Thi Huyen, 43 years old, who sells vegetables at Hoa Dinh market (Vo Cuong ward), when asked about voluntary social insurance, was still confused about the contribution levels and benefits between types of insurance. Some quick surveys show that the freelance workforce eligible to pay voluntary social insurance is very large, but their understanding of long-term social security policies is still limited.

Raising awareness, removing barriers

By the end of September 2025, the whole province had 91,708 people participating in voluntary social insurance, reaching 89.48% of the annual plan. Despite the encouraging results, expanding coverage for informal workers still faces many challenges. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Huong, Deputy Director of Bac Ninh Provincial Social Insurance, groups of workers such as farmers, small traders, street vendors, craftsmen, domestic workers, construction workers, technology drivers, etc. have the common characteristic of unstable and precarious income. "This is the biggest barrier that makes them hesitate to participate long-term. In addition, many people do not fully understand the humanistic meaning, only see the immediate benefits or have the mentality of wanting to withdraw social insurance at once," Ms. Huong shared.

By the end of September 2025, the whole province had 91,708 people participating in voluntary social insurance, reaching 89.48% of the yearly plan. The goal of the Social Insurance sector in the coming period is to continue to complete the assigned social insurance and health insurance targets; at the same time, improve the sustainability of participants.

To solve the problem, the Provincial Social Insurance has coordinated with the Women's Union, Farmers' Union, Youth Union... to organize propaganda conferences and direct consultation in villages and hamlets, especially in the evening or on weekends - when workers are free. Along with that, Zalo and Facebook channels... are used to reach young workers, raising awareness of the benefits of participating in voluntary social insurance.

According to the leader of Bac Ninh Provincial Social Insurance, the goal for the coming period is to continue to complete the assigned targets on social insurance and health insurance; at the same time, improve the sustainability of participants. The industry will promote innovation in propaganda methods; effectively implement the Resolution on supporting funding for voluntary social insurance participation of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Council for the period 2021-2025. Localities need to closely follow the reality, mobilize people who have stopped paying to continue participating, ensuring continuous benefits.

Article and photos: Nguyen Hue

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/bac-ninh-mo-rong-do-bao-phu-bao-hiem-xa-hoi-tu-nguyen-postid430456.bbg