Demand is outpacing the market
Over the next decade, more than 20% of Viet Nam’s population will be aged over 60, officially making the country an ageing society, according to data from the National Statistics Office. The Ministry of Health has also reported that average life expectancy in Viet Nam has risen to more than 74 years, while healthy life expectancy is only around 65.4 years. This gap of nearly a decade means that many older people may need support with their health, daily activities, and long-term care.
The need is becoming even more apparent as nuclear families become increasingly common, while urbanisation and migration mean that children are not always able to stay with their parents.
A recent decision by the prime minister on the revisions to the elderly healthcare programme shows that the government’s approach to the issue is broadening, from healthcare for older people to care for older people.
This is a notable shift, as the needs of older people extend far beyond medical examinations and treatment to include assistance with daily activities, rehabilitation, nutrition, and long-term care.
Every family may need someone with basic medical skills to support a patient newly discharged from hospital, someone with the physical ability and skills to help an older person exercise, or simply someone who can listen and help prevent an older person from falling into depression when they are lonely.
Against this backdrop, the care economy is a particularly important link. According to UNFPA, care should be viewed as a socio-economic system rather than merely a welfare service.
Professionalising care work could address several issues at the same time: reducing the burden of unpaid care; creating jobs; and benefiting care recipients, caregivers, and the economy as a whole.
But for a service market to function, there must first be people to work in the profession.
Growing numbers alongside quality
In August, at a forum on the care economy and development of the elderly care sector in Viet Nam organised by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Ho Chi Minh City Branch (VCCI-HCM) with support from the Investing in Women (IW) initiative, delegates and experts agreed on two main groups of solutions to promote the elderly care sector in Viet Nam.
The first focuses on removing institutional barriers and unlocking private capital as well as international investment. The second aims to professionalise the non-medical care workforce, a key factor determining service quality.
For the first group of solutions, Osamu Nimonjiya from Asian Human Power Networks proposed a “Vietnamese hardware + Japanese software” model to build a community-based integrated care system, with the core objective of supporting independence and safeguarding the dignity of older people.
At the same time, a multi-tiered service network needs to be developed. Nursing homes are just one option; home-based care, day-care centres, and community-based care are better placed to meet families’ diverse needs and financial capacities.
For the second group of solutions, Bui Thi Ninh, Deputy Director of VCCI-HCM, stressed the need to soon finalise the occupational classification, occupation code, and competency standards for non-medical care workers.
This should be accompanied by flexible training programmes, including short-term training, retraining, and recognition of individual skill sets, so that middle-aged workers do not have to start their entire vocational training journey from scratch.
According to a report newly released by VCCI-HCM in August, after one year of implementing the Gender-Responsive Innovations for Equitable Aged Care (GRACE) programme, carried out by VCCI-HCM with support from Investing in Women, 206 trainees had their competencies standardised, while their confidence in working in the profession rose from 2.42 to 4.04 out of five. A further 29 master trainers were trained using Australian-standard methods.
This impact not only helps address the shortage of workers but also helps reduce the burden of unpaid care, which is largely shouldered by women, transforming care work into a skilled, respected, and fairly paid profession suitable for everyone.
This provides a practical basis for VCCI-HCM to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Training for the official issuance of a national occupational code for the profession, laying the foundations for standardising the workforce nationwide.
Bui Thi Ninh stated that Viet Nam has established a policy foundation for developing the silver economy and a comprehensive elderly care system. This is an important springboard for promoting an older people-centred approach.
She added that building on this institutional foundation, the VCCI expects that over the next five to ten years, together with relevant stakeholders, it will help create a silver economy ecosystem based on three pillars: a care workforce with standardised occupational codes; a diverse, high-quality private care services market; and effective public-private partnerships.
Professionalising care work will not only address economic and labour supply-and-demand challenges but also represent a strategic investment in gender equality and sustainable social security.
