As
preparations begin for the 2027 budget, there is a growing need to allocate
financial resources to the Social Security Fund to support the inclusion of
workers in the most vulnerable and unregulated economic sectors. This should
not be viewed as current expenditure or an additional burden on the Treasury,
but rather as a social and economic investment in protecting the labour force,
correcting labour market imbalances, and gradually transforming informal work
into formal employment.
اضافة اعلان
The social
security coverage gap, with nearly 53 percent of the labour force outside the
system, reveals a broad social and economic challenge. More than half of
workers face the risks of illness, work injuries, unemployment, loss of income,
and old age without adequate insurance protection, leaving their families more
vulnerable to moving from employment precarity into poverty at the first
crisis.
Therefore,
the government should begin, in next year’s budget, by allocating financial
resources, even if limited in the initial phase, to support the inclusion of
workers in vulnerable sectors. These allocations should gradually increase
within a clear and publicly announced plan, turning them into a sustainable
national pathway for expanding social protection and regulating the labour
market.
These
allocations could be directed toward supporting the inclusion of low-income
workers, self-employed workers, seasonal workers, and assisting small and
micro-enterprises in bringing their employees into the social security system.
In this sense, such allocations would not be temporary support, but an
investment in regulating the labour market, transforming informal work into
formal employment, expanding the contributor base, and protecting the social
and economic rights of workers.
Expanding
social security coverage also strengthens social protection and the economic
stability of families, reduces income vulnerability, and increases workers’
confidence in the labour market. In strategic terms, it also helps ease
pressure on the National Aid Fund, as families covered by insurance-based
protection are less likely to fall into chronic poverty or become dependent on
long-term assistance.
This approach
is consistent with the objectives of the National Social Protection Strategy,
which calls for building a more inclusive and equitable system that does not
merely respond to poverty after it occurs, but works to prevent it and reduce
its risks. It is also aligned with the recent Decent Work Country Programme
signed between the government and the International Labour Organization nearly
two months ago, as decent work cannot be meaningfully discussed without
effective social security coverage that includes the most vulnerable groups in
the labour market.
The 2027
budget could represent a practical starting point for this transformation by
allocating financial resources to the Social Security Fund to help cover part
of the cost of the ongoing reform of the social security system. Such a step
would send a clear message that the government views social security as a tool
for regulating the labour market, promoting justice, and protecting people,
rather than merely as a contribution-based system limited to those who are
already able to access it.
An economy
does not become stronger merely because growth figures rise; it becomes
stronger when work is more regulated, workers are better protected, and
families are less vulnerable to crises. From this perspective, these
allocations could constitute a foundational step toward a more just and stable
social protection system in Jordan.
