Dr Mohammed Azman, ISSA President 

The CEO of the Social Security Organisation (Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial – PERKESO) of Malaysia and President of the International Social Security Association, Dr Mohammed Azman, welcomed participants from 45 ISSA member organizations in 39 countries to the event, mainly from Asia and the Pacific. In addition, there was a large national delegation attending the event, which was organized with a combination of international and national sessions.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister

The ISSA was privileged to have Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, to open the technical seminar, and for the contributions of Steven Sim Chee Keong, Minister of Human Resources and his Deputy Minister Abdul Rahman Mohamad.

Day 1: Setting the stage for inclusive social security

The technical seminar started with a comprehensive overview of the current landscape. The Director of the Social Wellbeing Research Centre from Universiti Malaya in Malaysia, Prof. Norma Mansor, the ISSA President and the ILO representative presented a fresh perspective on the challenges and opportunities in this sector, emphasizing the need for detailed categorization of self-employed, platform, and gig workers.

This was followed by case presentations from several countries in Asia and the Pacific, which underscored the importance of formulating effective solutions to ensure comprehensive social security coverage. The technical sessions highlighted the dynamic nature of the platform economy and the ongoing efforts to formalize labour markets for the self-employed and platform workers.

Day 2: Learning from international best practices

The second day delved deeper into international good practices, through a variety of parallel sessions with presentations from various countries showcasing successful strategies for expanding social security coverage. The international sessions focused on ensuring effective access for platform workers and meeting the social security needs of the self-employed, building on country experiences and institutional good practices.

The sessions emphasized the importance of adapting social security systems to accommodate the unique needs of the self-employed and platform workers. The seminar also featured closing remarks by the Secretary General of ISSA, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano, who reminded attendees that the goal of extending social security is not just a legal obligation but responsible policy making. The message resonated with participants, reinforcing the commitment to reaching out to those in the informal sector.

Key takeaways and future directions

The seminar concluded with a call to action for continued innovation and collaboration. Key takeaways included the need for:

• Enhanced regulatory frameworks: Developing and implementing regulations that accurately classify employment statuses and ensure a legal basis for mandatory coverage.
• Institutional innovations: Facilitating registration, payment, data sharing and awareness initiatives to streamline social security processes.
• Strategic and practical solutions: Leveraging academic insights, good practices, and innovations from ISSA member institutions and international organizations to address the challenges faced by the self-employed and platform workers.

The technical seminar in Kuala Lumpur was part of a range of activities from the ISSA to strengthen social security for platform workers. A European technical seminar was organized in 2023, and the ISSA has published a number of analysis articles and reports on the topic. The ISSA supports the G20 on this issue, and recently published the Protection of platform workers portal. This will continue to be a key topic for the ISSA and its members and will be on the agenda of next year’s World Social Security Forum, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.