Asia and the Pacific is a major source and destination of international migrant workers. This article examines the evolution and current state of bilateral and multilateral social security agreements, with a focus on agreements involving countries in the region. 

While the first international social security agreements were established in the 1940s and earlier, there are today 627 bilateral and 19 multilateral agreements in force. European countries and territories are part of over 80 per cent of them. In this article, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) examines the evolution of such agreements, with a focus on European contracting countries, in light of increasing migration flows and various forms of work migration.

Social security systems are increasingly interconnected – across different agencies within the sector, with organizations in other sectors and with systems in other countries. Furthermore, in complex environments, even within the same institution, different organizational units are becoming progressively specialized, autonomous, or geographically focused. As a result, the strategic and operational activities in which social security institutions are engaged often require the involvement and coordination of multiple actors working at different levels to achieve effective results.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed work arrangements. Teleworking has been introduced or expanded around the world to reduce the risk of infection at the workplace. This has also affected frontier workers in the European Union (EU). As they normally work in one country and reside in another one, changing the place of work to one’s home can influence which country’s social security legislation is applicable to them.