As part of the city’s sustainable poverty reduction program, Saigon is aiming to lift all households out of poverty by 2020.
Nguyen Van Lam, deputy director of the city’s Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the municipal government plans to provide a total of VND2.94 trillion (US$130.2 million) in preferential loans to poor and near-poor families to assist in opening small-scale production facilities or businesses, reports DTI.
The city currently defines poverty as an income of less than VND21 million (US$930) per person per year and near-poverty as those within the income range of VND21-28 million (US$930-1,240) per person per year, reports the news outlet.
Currently, poor and near-poor families make up 5.77% of all households in the city, according to Lam. There are 67,090 poor households and 48,154 near-poor households.
According to DTI, Saigon also plans to reduce its unemployment rate from 4.4% to below 4% in 2017. Municipal officials also vowed to create 125,000 new jobs and send 13,5000 guest workers overseas this year and told reporters that 3.63 million of the city’s working-age population would receive vocational training.
Municipal officials in the southern hub also aim to raise the official poverty threshold to VND28 million (US$1,240) per person per year.
