Minimum living standards for workers to be announced annually from 2028
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc has signed Decision No. 380/QD-TTg approving a project to develop and annually publicise minimum living standards as a basis for determining social policy benchmarks.
The project aims to establish a consistent framework for calculating and releasing minimum living standards, improving data quality and supporting the formulation of social welfare policies.
Under the plan, minimum living standards for the general population, broken down by urban and rural areas, will be published annually starting in 2026. From 2028, minimum living standards specifically for workers will also be announced each year.
The initiative includes identifying methodologies and data sources used to compile living-standard indicators, as well as designing regular surveys to collect information necessary for the annual publication.
One key task is revising the survey plan on residents' living standards to ensure reliable data for urban and rural assessments. In 2026, the Ministry of Finance will coordinate with relevant ministries to evaluate the completeness and reliability of collected data, including detailed household expenditure information covering food and non-food items. Survey sample sizes will also be expanded to improve representativeness.
The revised survey plan will be implemented nationwide to gather comprehensive expenditure data in line with the national statistical programme, enabling consistent calculation and publication of minimum living standards.
The project will develop methodologies and data sources to measure workers’ minimum living standards, including reviewing the Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) calculating method to define essential consumption baskets and appropriate measurement criteria. A pilot worker expenditure survey will be conducted to ensure data accurately reflects real living conditions.
In addition, annual survey plans will be established to support the regular compilation and publication of minimum living standards for both residents and workers.
To implement the project, four key solutions are outlined – studying international practices and methodologies, strengthening human resource capacity in data collection and analysis, maximising the application of information technology to data management and dissemination, and ensuring adequate financial, technical and human resources.
Minimum wage increase ineffective in raising living standards
Increasing the regional minimum wage has raised concerns over a potential trade-off with social allowances that would block the new wages from increasing employees' real income.
