Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making rapid inroads into the public sector as agencies pursue greater efficiency, greater quality and more personalized services for their customers. Social security institutions are no exception. While the applications of AI are varied – each with its own far-reaching implications – “conversational AI” or “chatbots” have been leading the way in terms of AI adoption by government agencies.

Digital technologies are fundamentally transforming how public services are designed and delivered. This article zooms in on the implementation of digital inclusion strategies among European ISSA member institutions.

While social security administrations have gradually pursued digital strategies over the past decades, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated their digital transformation journey. The resilience and scalability of digital systems in responding to unprecedented needs despite operational constraints has dramatically moved the needle on organizations going “digital by default”. This article builds on the experiences of social security institutions in Europe.

While unemployment protection schemes are scarcely developed in Asia and the Pacific, as elsewhere in the world, important developments are taking place to expand and improve coverage. Certain developments have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents overall trends and concrete good practices of member institutions in the region.

The unprecedented surge in the need for social security during the COVID-19 crisis overwhelmed institutions’ service delivery channels, both physical and online. This article deals with the importance of Business Continuity Management in light of the pandemic, building on good practices of social security institutions in Asia and the Pacific.

Fraud has become a major threat for health care systems globally. While social security institutions constantly aim for the optimization of processes with the help of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and monitor fraud more effectively and efficiently, adopting such emerging technologies poses important challenges.

Contribution collection and compliance plays a fundamental role in social security as it helps to ensure the sustainability of social security systems and promotes a higher level of coverage among workers. As the ISSA Guidelines on Contribution Collection and Compliance (ISSA, 2019) put it, “The timely and full payment of contributions by and on behalf of insured persons is necessary if they are to achieve the benefits to which they are legally entitled”.

In recent years, coordinating service delivery has emerged as an important strategic priority for social security institutions and members of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) have made impressive gains in service quality enabled through information and communication technologies (ICTs). This article builds on good practices of ISSA members from Asia and the Pacific.

This article looks at the digital transformation strategies of social security institutions with the aim to provide better and more efficient services for clients and beneficiaries. It builds on good practices submitted by members of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) from the Asia and the Pacific region.

The social security systems of the region of Europe have a track record of promoting inclusive growth and social cohesion. In addition to workers’ social insurance, systems typically address income poverty and its root causes through tax-financed income transfers and social assistance. A life-course approach to social protection is a priority, especially for the region’s comprehensive systems. Generally, social protection in Europe mitigates risks that occur from birth through to the start of the working life, as well as in work and during periods of unemployment, incapacity for work or when work is no longer possible.