Social Protection for Workers with Disabilities
HSF supports Vietnam in enhancing social protection accessibility for workers with disability

Dr. Axel Neubert, Country Director of HSF in Vietnam, giving their opening remarks

HSF

In an introductory overview Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Former Director of ILSSA, stressed the importance of the topic. “Vietnam has currently 2,63 million disabled workers, accounting for 5,3% total labour force”, she said and then continued to explain the difficulties of disabled people in accessing to labour market in Vietnam: “Lack of job opportunities, inappropriate working conditions/environment and difficulties in access to information about employment and job searching are among the biggest obstacles”.

In order to give the numerous participants from think tanks, science and education and the government a better impression of social protection for disabled workers in the international context, German expert Dr. Matthias Meißner from the Ruhr University in Bochum illustrated some experiences from Germany and China.

Delegates listen thoughtfully during a presentation

HSF

The workshop further provided many experiences on supporting employment and livelihood for disabled workers. Dr. Meißner stressed the importance to further recommendations on supporting activities for disabled people, e.g. “create educational opportunities and vocational training, provide employment information or develop independent living services to help disabled people study and work”.

During the workshop, Dr. Axel Neubert, Regional Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Vietnam, introduced the summary report ‘Social Protection for Workers with Disabilities’, a study commonly executed by HSF and ILLSA. “The study as well as the outcomes of this workshop will help creating policy recommendations that will further Vietnam’s aspiration for social equality”, Dr. Neubert said.