{
  "id": 8682000,
  "title": "Informal workers top 60 percent in Vietnam as safety net lags",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/informal-workers-top-60-percent-in-vietnam-as-safety-net-lags",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-20T12:03:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SGGP English Edition",
    "slug": "sggp-english-edition",
    "url": "https://en.sggp.org.vn/informal-workers-top-60-percent-in-vietnam-as-safety-net-lags-post129803.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Informal employment in Vietnam now constitutes 61.9 percent of the total workforce, leaving millions of gig workers exposed to grave physical and financial risks lacking adequate legal or social safeguards. Recent statistics from the General Statistics Office reveal that informal workers account for 61.9 percent of the employed population in Vietnam. The informal labor force is growing, yet social welfare policies have not kept pace. On Dang Van Tron street in Dong Nai City, a deadly accident occurred when a driver on a Grab platform was struck and killed by a truck while en route to work. This event highlights the frequent threats faced by platform drivers, such as traffic accidents, scams, robberies, and harassment. A recent survey of 141 Grab, Green SM, and Be platform drivers found that 73.8 percent had been involved in at least one accident, and over 65 percent had experienced scams, robberies, or harassment. Despite these risks, gig drivers are classified as partners of digital platforms rather than employees, making them ineligible for mandatory social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance. Only about 700 out of more than 400,000 active tech drivers in Ho Chi Minh City participate in voluntary social insurance. The digital economy in Vietnam is booming, serving as a bright spot in Southeast Asia, with the number of platform workers reaching nearly 7.5 million by 2024, representing nearly 14 percent of the total labor force. Vietnamese workers are increasingly transitioning into alternative employment forms such as self-employment, delivery and transport services, retail, brokerage, short-term work, or part-time informal labor. The primary reason for this situation is the absence of legal regulations governing new labor models. Current labor, social insurance, occupational safety and health, and employment laws are rooted in traditional labor structures and lack a defined legal concept for platform-based employment relationships, resulting in regulatory gaps in working conditions, social security, and collective bargaining representation.",
  "summary": "Rising informal employment, which now comprises 61.9 percent of Vietnam's total workforce, is exposing millions of platform and freelance workers to severe physical and financial hazards without adequate legal or social protection. HCMC expands regular health check-ups, screenings to informal migrant workers",
  "key_points": [
    "61.9% of Vietnam's workforce is informal, leaving many unprotected",
    "Platform drivers face accidents, scams, robberies, harassment",
    "Only 700 of 400,000+ Grab drivers in Ho Chi Minh City insured"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}