Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Huynh Le Nhu Trang said that the city will spend VND915 billion (US$37.4 million) to support poor households and welfare beneficiaries in the upcoming lunar New Year, up more than VND34 billion compared to the last Tet holiday.
The city’s authorities will offer Tet gifts to individuals and families credited with meritorious service to the country, disadvantaged retired people, the elderly, and children.
In addition, the local authorities will pay visits and offer presents to 65 non-public social assistance establishments and funds, 12 units, and organizations that accompany the city to support and care for underprivileged women, children, and people.
The average salary bonus for New Year 2024 of VND4.7 million is higher than the previous year of VND3.2 million. The average year-end bonus for Tet will be around VND12.3 million while the average salary bonus for the last lunar New Year was VND12.8 million.
There are 599 businesses, accounting for 46.47 percent of the total number of enterprises in the city to offer to employees Lunar New Year bonuses and Tet gifts such as shopping vouchers, lucky money, free coaches for workers to return home for the Lunar New Year holidays, visits to migrant workers who cannot return to their hometowns for Tet holidays.
The HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs will coordinate with relevant units to organize job transaction floors to provide 25,000- 29,000 seasonal job vacancies in the fields of trading and service during the Tet holidays; 48,971-57,471 jobs after the lunar New Year mainly in the sectors of textiles, footwear, accommodation, food and drinks service, food processing, plastics and rubber.
The HCMC Youth Union has also called individuals, organizations, and businesses to provide financial assistance to give 22,000 Tet gifts, 2,000 free bus tickets to students, 1,500 bus tickets, and 200 train tickets to disadvantaged workers in difficult circumstances to return home to celebrate Tet with their families as well as offer 10,000 jobs to students, young people and workers who have recently lost their jobs.