Amman, Feb 25 (Petra) – Insurance and social security experts said on Wednesday that expanding social security coverage to more workers is a key pillar for reforming the system and enhancing its financial sustainability, as well as achieving fairness in the labor market.
The said in interviews with Petra that increasing the subscriber base, combating insurance evasion, and integrating workers in the informal economy have become urgent priorities to address future challenges the system may face and ensure its continuity.
The broader and more consistent the subscriber base, the more balanced and equitable the pension system will be, commented Labor expert Hamada Abu Nijmeh, Director of Workers' House Organization.
Achieving expanding the social security umbrella requires addressing insurance evasion, linking government databases to enhance compliance, simplifying subscription and payment procedures, and integrating workers in the informal economy and the self-employed into flexible and equitable mechanisms, he explained.
It also necessitates regulating termination procedures that push some workers to leave the labor market prematurely, as any additional year of employment means extra contributions and a delay in pension payments, he added.
True sustainability is achieved through expanding the coverage base, promoting fairness in the labor market, and improving system management, Abu Najmeh stressed, adding that an all-inclusive and equitable social security system is more sustainable and less likely to require stringent measures in the future.
Jamila Mahasneh, a Social Security Corporation consultant, said expanding coverage is a strategic objective of the corporation, aiming to increase revenues, improve its financial condition, and extend the social protection umbrella for which it was established.
It plays a key part in shifting the first and second break-even points, she said, noting that experts, during a discussion session on the topic at the Economic and Social Council, were unanimous on the importance of expanding coverage through the inclusion of Jordanians working abroad in old-age, disability, and death insurance, and optionally, unemployment insurance.
It also involves covering all workers without exception, as well as anyone holding a license, including drivers and those working in smart transportation, in addition to those with work permits for domestic work.
Mahasneh stressed the need to include foreign laborers in all economic sectors and curb insurance evasion by ensuring all workers are covered based on their actual wages.
For his part, Social Security Corporation spokesman Shaman Majali said the corporation has been conducting extensive inspection campaigns since the beginning of the year with the aim of expanding social security coverage and combating insurance evasion.
A study has revealed that 22.8 percent of workers in the formal sector are not covered by social security, in addition to a significant number in the informal sector.
Majali said the number of establishments covered by social security during January across the Kingdom reached 737, thereby enrolling 1,347 insured individuals. He explained that the draft amendment to the Social Security Law includes incentives, notably the inclusion of establishments that apply for coverage after the amended law comes into force.
He pointed out that the draft law also stipulates stiff penalties for establishments evading inclusion of all their employees, or applying with inaccurate wages, increasing the fine to between 30 and 100 percent of the value of the contributions.
//Petra//SS
