Ensuring universal social protection for the future of work

Abstract

The debate about the future of work has sparked a debate about how to ensure that social protection systems can provide full and effective coverage for workers in all forms of employment, including 'new' ones. While some emerging work and employment arrangements may provide greater flexibility for workers and employers, they may lead to significant gaps in social protection coverage, at a time when demands on social protection systems are increasing. It is therefore necessary to strengthen and adapt social protection systems for a changing world of work. More than ever, they have a key role in preventing poverty, reducing inequality, enhancing income security and enabling workers and their families better to navigate work and life transitions. Comprehensive approaches, including contributory and non-contributory social protection mechanisms, with equitable and sustainable financing mechanisms available through taxes or contributions, stand the best chance of offering adequate social protection to all.

Skills and the Labor Market in a New Era: Managing the Impacts of Population Aging and Technological Change in Uruguay

“…This trend might be consistent with the implications of an increasingly gigbased economy: fewer workers in formal, traditional relationships, and more with occasional jobs but still in need of adequate protection. The main debate about labor regulations and social security systems in a changing labor market has focused on whether coverage should be based on employment relationships or whether they should be separated through the establishment of universal noncontributory social protection programs and labor regulations that go beyond traditional employment (Behrendt and Nguyen 2018;World Bank 2019;. Adopting such a model could facilitate employees' entrance and exit from jobs; their rights to social security benefits would no longer be affected, and the higher rotation might result in faster adjustments to changes in the demand for skills by employers.…”

“…A policy that sets a minimum set of benefits for all individuals, regardless of their current or former engagement in the labor market, complemented by a contributory program, could effectively offer adequate protection for all. Even where measures have been implemented that extend the systems of contributory social security to workers under nonstandard forms of employment Behrendt and Nguyen 2018), systems based on financing through other noncontributory means can be strengthened to ensure at least some basic coverage for the entire population World Bank 2019). Although noncontributory programs have been available in Latin America for decades, the trend in recent years has been unprecedented in its intensity and the speed with which it has spread.…”

“…• Simplifying and facilitating administrative procedures for registration, making contributions, and paying benefits. Simplifying and accelerating administrative and financial requirements and procedures may contribute to the coverage of employees Behrendt and Nguyen 2018). Simplified tax and contribution systems may be implemented, access to electronic digital platforms may be eased for registration or making queries or payments, and more flexible or fixed contribution systems may be created.…”

“…How can the regulations be supervised and enforced? Different countries have moved toward regulating the worker side of the relationship (including the draft "Service Provision through Information Platforms" law in Uruguay, discussed in Congress in 2016 but not passed), but if international agreements to share information are not available, enforcing these rules will be difficult (Behrendt and Nguyen 2018).…”

Introduction: Social security and the digital economy – Managing transformation

“…In parallel to the recent work undertaken by the ISSA (ISSA, ), an increasingly specialized international literature has emerged to address concerns and challenges associated with social security and the digital economy (for example, Avlijaš, ; Behrendt and Nguyen, ; Frota, ; OECD, ; Spasova et al, ; Weber, ). The literature reveals a degree of optimism about the beneficial internal operational impacts that digital information and communication technology (ICT) can have for the administration of social security programmes (Billig and Francis, ).…”