The International Social Security Association (ISSA) has issued a new report on international social security agreements. Such agreements are crucial for ensuring the social security rights of migrant workers, and the ISSA is developing a database and tools to support countries and institutions to establish and implement them.
As people move abroad for work, it is essential that they are able to keep and/or accrue new social security rights and benefits. International social security agreements can ensure that employment periods are taken into account for granting benefits in signatory countries. In addition, they will ensure that workers avoid paying contributions to both sending and receiving countries, making cost savings without reducing social protection.
The new ISSA report – Global overview of international social security agreements – features the following highlights:
- Globalization, increasing migration flows and the development of more mature social security systems are driving a rapid growth in bilateral and multilateral agreements
- By 2020 around 645 bilateral agreements were in force globally
- European countries have the most agreements, but other regions are rapidly catching up
- 10 multilateral agreements are in force in different regions
- ISSA tools for the development and implementation of international agreements, including a comprehensive database on agreements and guidelines
This report also complements a report the ISSA recently published jointly with the International Labour Office (ILO) on the social protection of migrant workers.