Housing for workers - a strategic step for sustainable industrialization

Workers' housing plays a very important role and directly affects the industrialization process in many aspects. Here are some of the main impacts:

Stabilizing the workforce - the core element of industrialization. Stable housing helps retain workers. When there is safe housing, close to the workplace, workers are less likely to leave their jobs, reducing the rate of sudden resignation, creating a sustainable human resource for industrial zones. Housing ensures basic living conditions, helping workers have good health and spirit, thereby working more effectively, helping to increase labor productivity.

Meeting the demand for workers' housing is a factor in attracting investment and accelerating industrialization. Workers' housing is essential social infrastructure. Investors often pay attention to the ability to provide housing for workers before setting up factories, so good workers' housing helps localities attract FDI capital and develop industry faster. Therefore, this is a factor that creates competitive advantages between localities. Industrial parks with a complete ecosystem (including housing) will be more attractive than places with only empty land and lack of infrastructure.

Creating momentum for urbanization and sustainable development. Workers' housing is not only a place to live but also promotes the formation of satellite towns, commercial services, education, health care, transportation, etc. around industrial zones. This helps to connect industry and urbanization. Moreover, it reduces the pressure of uncontrolled immigration. Without workers' housing, workers have to rent temporary accommodation, causing overload of urban infrastructure and complicated security and order.

Long-term social and welfare impacts. Stable housing for workers improves the quality of life, increases worker attachment to the enterprise and the locality, thereby forming a stable community. At the same time, this is a factor that reduces social inequality. Affordable housing for workers helps them not to be left behind in the industrial development process.

Thus, workers' housing is not only a social security policy but also an important driving force to promote industrialization in a sustainable, effective and humane direction. Investing in workers' housing is investing in the social infrastructure serving long-term industrial development.

Recognizing this issue, the Party and the Government have long been interested in supporting the development of social housing for sale, hire-purchase, and rent for policy beneficiaries and low-income people (including workers). Not only the State's support policy, but this issue has also been supported by the business community and the whole society (especially housing for policy beneficiaries and poor households). For Nghe An, from 2021 to now, the province has completed the construction of 1,756 units in 3 projects and works, including 300 social housing units for workers and 1,456 worker accommodation units. Currently, the province is implementing 7 projects, planning to add 1,553 units including: 1,381 worker accommodation units and 172 units for low-income people. At the same time, 41 projects have been planned, of which 34 projects have selected investors (about 28,000 apartments).

However, housing for workers in industrial zones across the country only meets about 30% of the demand. Most migrant workers and laborers are having to rent public housing with unsafe living conditions. Moreover, according to the investigation and survey results of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, out of a total of 220 industrial zones and export processing zones across the country, almost no place has built nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and medical stations to serve the essential needs of workers.

For Nghe An, compared to the actual demand, even the number of houses completed and under construction only meets about 10%. Especially for young couples who are both workers, access to housing is even more difficult (hostels do not have apartments for families, social housing for low-income people is very limited).

Nghe An is on the path of acceleration, a breakthrough task is to increase investment attraction in the field of industrial development. This will create a great pressure on housing for workers. The problem of housing for workers is not only to solve the problem of social security, but also a solution to develop human resources, attract investment and improve social labor productivity. To solve this problem, I would like to propose some of the following issues:

First of all, for social housing projects, it is necessary to do a good job of site clearance and planning "clean land" to create conditions for investors to implement projects as quickly as possible. It is necessary to review and integrate planning for social housing, worker housing, cultural and social institutions, and expert housing into planning for industrial zones and clusters (ensuring that 70% of workers have the need). Review public land funds and inter-urban land for use in building social housing. In addition, in urban development planning, it is necessary to pay attention to developing the model of "worker satellite urban clusters" with full social infrastructure and reasonable investment and operation mechanisms.

Second, reform administrative and legal procedures, shorten appraisal time, give priority to social housing projects and worker accommodation projects with land funds near key industrial zones. Effectively implement the Government's support policies on incentives for beneficiaries (workers, investors). Quickly form and operate the Local Housing Development Fund.

Third, do a good job of communication, publicize and transparent information, especially the multi-dimensional monitoring mechanism.

Fourth, there should be a socialization mechanism to attract private enterprises to participate in social housing investment with non-budgetary funds (with State support such as tax incentives, technical and social infrastructure support, or PPP mechanism, etc.). Furthermore, there should be a mechanism to require enterprises to have accommodation plans for workers when granting investment licenses with State support. At the same time, it is necessary to consider policies to support households with conditions (exemption from land tax, income tax, electricity and water, etc.) to encourage and develop the model of "standard boarding houses" for people to participate in the social housing program.

Fifth, promote the role of the Trade Union organization in representing workers' interests in supervising and investing in housing for workers to rent or purchase.

Finally, promote the application of science and technology in construction to improve the quality, safety and reduce the cost of social housing and workers' housing. Apply digital technology to manage social housing and workers' housing in a scientific, objective and transparent manner.

Developing workers' housing is not only a social security goal to ensure human rights but also a competitive solution to attract investment, a solution to develop human resources, a driving force to promote industrialization as well as socio-economic development of Nghe An province. With the high determination of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee and all levels, sectors, as well as the business community and people, it is hoped that the Social Housing Development Program in general, and workers' housing in particular, will soon meet the essential needs of the workforce and laborers, contributing to the rapid and sustainable socio-economic development of Nghe An province, leaving no one behind.