HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's National Assembly on Monday passed the amended Employment Law, granting workers broader access to preferential loans and expanding unemployment insurance coverage, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The revised law authorizes the government to flexibly adjust loan eligibility and interest rates based on socio-economic conditions, enabling more workers to access concessional credit for job creation, retention, and overseas employment, the report added.
According to the state-run media, workers in start-ups, innovation-driven businesses, near-poor households, and enterprises employing many women or older laborers are now eligible for support, replacing the previous fixed beneficiary groups.
The law also extends access to overseas employment loans to all Vietnamese working abroad under contract, whereas earlier support was limited to disadvantaged and prioritized groups.
Under the revised law, the scope of unemployment insurance will widen to include workers on contracts of at least one month and part-time workers whose monthly wages meet or exceed the minimum threshold for compulsory social insurance, the report stated.
The amended Employment Law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. ■
