Ho Chi Minh City gig drivers call for wider social security coverage

A workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on social security for app-based drivers heard that the city has about 400,000 drivers and delivery workers operating through technology platforms.

The sector has created jobs and provided workers with flexible hours and additional income, but also exposed them to long working hours, traffic accidents and other risks, officials said.

A survey of 141 drivers working for Grab, Green SM and BEE found that 93.6 percent considered app-based driving their main job.

Some 46.1 percent worked between eight and 10 hours a day, while 35.5 percent regularly worked more than 10 hours.

Nearly three-quarters, or 73.8 percent, said they had been involved in at least one traffic collision or accident. More than 65 percent said they had encountered scams, robbery or harassment while working.

App-based drivers are classified by technology platforms as partners rather than employees, meaning they are not covered by compulsory social and health insurance schemes.

The survey found that 73.4 percent of drivers relied only on household health insurance or support from trade unions, while many had no insurance coverage at all.

Speaking at the workshop, Phung Thai Quang, vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labour, said some 92.9 percent of drivers want their occupation and legal status to be more clearly defined.

Another 87.9 percent wanted a mechanism that would allow them to participate in social insurance schemes and receive financial and other forms of support, he said.

Nguyen Duc Loc, director of the Institute for Social Life Studies, said a separate survey of 400 drivers, half car drivers and half motorbike drivers, showed that working hours were rising without a corresponding increase in income.

Payment and expense arrangements between drivers and technology platforms also needed greater transparency to protect workers' interests, he said.

Deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Agency, Nguyen Quoc Thanh, said policymakers faced the challenge of preserving the flexibility of platform-based work while expanding drivers' access to social protection.

Including app-based drivers in the compulsory social insurance system would help protect them against risks and provide benefits after they reach retirement age, he said.

The Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Agency called for further research into the number of drivers, their working arrangements and incomes, as well as their participation in social, health and unemployment insurance.

It also urged closer coordination between social security authorities, government agencies, technology platforms and worker representative organisations to develop and implement policies suited to the sector.