MULTIDIMENSIONAL SOCIAL WELFARE, SOCIAL PROTECTION, AND DECENT WORK AMONG MIGRANT WORKER FAMILIES IN INDUSTRIAL PARKS IN BAC NINH, VIETNAM
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Abstract
Industrial expansion in Vietnam has increased internal labour migration to manufacturing centres, raising questions about whether employment opportunities are accompanied by adequate social protection for migrant worker families. Evidence integrating household and workplace welfare remains limited for this population. This study examined social welfare conditions among migrant workers and their families in industrial parks in Bac Ninh Province across five domains: housing conditions, income security, health care and health security, children's education, and working conditions. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to November 2025, involving 600 migrant workers with permanent residence outside Bac Ninh Province. Twenty-nine indicators were summarised using frequencies, percentages, and descriptive statistics. The results showed that 55.7% of participants lived in less than 10 m² per person, while 37.2% spent at least 20% of monthly income on housing. Income shortfalls were reported by 44.0%, and 53.8% worked overtime regularly or almost every day to improve income. Although 80.0% had compulsory employer-linked health insurance, 26.5% reported moderate or severe difficulty paying health care costs not covered by insurance. Regarding children's education, 31.5% reported that all school-age children remained in the place of origin, and education costs created moderate or major financial difficulty for 19.9%. In the workplace, 45.2% worked more than 48 hours per week, 23.8% reported frequent or continuous work-related stress, and 36.8% considered worker voice mechanisms ineffective or unavailable. Overall, the findings show that formal employment and social protection coexisted with constraints in income adequacy, health system access, educational access, and employment protection.
JEL Classification Codes: I31, J61, J81.
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