From time to time, the Jordanian government, through various
levels issues statements and leaks suggesting that there are challenges
threatening the sustainability of the social security system, often hinting at
the need to amend the governing law. These positions are frequently supported
by recommendations from the International Monetary Fund and/or the World Bank.
اضافة اعلان
However, Jordan's recent experience has shown that what is
offered under the label of “reform” often involves reducing social entitlements
rather than expanding protection or enhancing coverage. A few years ago, we
witnessed a government attempt to amend more than one-third of the articles in
the Social Security Law, most of which aimed at reducing protections, allowing
the government to withhold part of its obligations toward military personnel,
and conditioning those payments on economic growth rates exceeding 5%.
Although public and parliamentary pressure prevented some of
these amendments from being passed, the changes that were adopted effectively
weakened the comprehensiveness and efficiency of the system. Today, with
renewed calls for reforming the social security system, we must ask the
fundamental question: What kind of reform do we want? Is the goal to strengthen
the social protection system or simply to reduce costs at the expense of
working people?
The social security system is not merely a technical
insurance scheme; it is one of the key pillars of social, political, and
economic stability in any country. In Jordan, social security has been one of
the state’s most important achievements over the past decades, as it provides
protection against old age, illness, disability, unemployment, and other social
risks. It also contributes to poverty reduction and narrowing the social gap.
Moreover, enhancing social security is no longer optional, it
is a national necessity for achieving the goals outlined in the Economic
Modernization Vision and the National Social Protection Strategy. Both
documents identify social protection as a core pillar of economic reform. It is
impossible to talk about a stable, attractive investment environment or
increased productivity without a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable social
security system.
Likewise, any serious economic reform plan cannot succeed
without a strong social safety net that protects vulnerable groups from the
impacts of economic transformation and mitigates poverty and unemployment.
Social security is not a burden on the economy, it is a prerequisite for its
success and sustainability.
If there is a genuine need to reform the Social Security
Law, the starting point should be expanding coverage, not limiting it.
Currently, nearly half of Jordan’s labor force is not covered by social
security, most of them working in the informal sector or as self-employed
individuals. What we need are flexible and simplified contribution mechanisms
that respond to the diversity of modern work arrangements, supported by
incentivizing government policies, not exclusionary measures that increase
vulnerability.
The policy of expanding early retirement, especially forced
retirement in the public sector, has become a burden on the system and
threatens its sustainability. These policies must be halted.
Exempting youth from some types of insurance coverage is a
serious mistake that must be corrected, as it undermines the principle of
equality and exposes future generations to weak retirement protection.
Similarly, the decision to link the government’s contributions for military
personnel to economic growth rates must be reversed. Real reform must include
all workers without discrimination and provide employment incentives that do
not compromise their fundamental rights.
Reforming the social security system in Jordan is not a
routine technical measure, it is a political, economic, and social decision
that affects the future of millions of Jordanians. Therefore, any amendments to
this law must be based on principles of justice, inclusiveness, and
sustainability, not on austerity approaches that threaten the structure of
social protection and reduce the gains of working people.
We must understand that social security is a long-term
investment in societal stability, not a cost that should be minimized.
