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By 2026, the majority of countries are struggling to expand social security such that it is extended to the formal workers (salaried) and other informal, gig, and migrant workers. The pandemic, the rise in the cost of living, and frequent occurrence of disasters of climate nature have proven the farce of life among households, not receiving income support, health insurance, and pensions. The growth of social security is no longer considered only welfare but is increasingly being considered as an economic stabiliser maintaining the demand alive, participation in labour market and inequality in the long-term. The new questions are the speed with which we can become big systems, who will be introduced and how will we fund them. For more labour rights insights and workplace updates, visit our Labour Rights page.
Why Social Security Expansion Cannot Wait
Recent crises showed that millions of workers could not be covered by the conventional safety net as they are not getting formal contracts, lack any record of employers, or stable earnings. When such workers and their families are faced with such a scenario in which there are no jobs or health crises to strike them, they normally resort to debt, charity or child labour in order to earn a living. These downward spirals can be curtailed through the extension of social protection i.e. cash transfer program, health insurance, benefits on unemployment, and pension. It also enhances degree of resilience to ensure that in case people take productive risks such as changing jobs or even establishing small businesses, they are not afraid that failure will result in complete failure.
Read more: Gig Workers’ Rights in India: Social Security, Platform Duties, and 2025 Updates
Key Areas of Social Security Reform
The drive to increase the scope of social security until 2026 tends to take on three lines:
- Coverage Extending schemes to informal, gig, self-employed and migrant workers, usually through simplified registration, online platforms or community-based enrolment.
- Adequacy of benefits: Making payment and services substantial and frequently having a significant impact on poverty reduction and consumption ease, rather than symbolic.
- Portability: The workers should be allowed to carry their benefits (pension, health coverage) with them when they transfer jobs, sectors and regions, which is essential in contemporary, mobile labour markets.
Financing and Political Choices
Social security expansion needs to be funded well, and this can be achieved through a combination of general taxation, employer and worker contributions as well as special levies on the high-profit sectors. One of the most common areas of debate is whether expansion should focus on the poorest first, universal with small benefits or specific groups like children, older people or unemployed youth. It requires political determination: governments should balance between short-term budgetary requirements and long-term returns in terms of social stability, productivity and human development.
What Social Security Expansion Means for Workers
To employees, particularly precarious or low wage employees, enhanced social security may imply a reduction in the fear of illness, old age, or abrupt work reduction. It will be able to make people less dependent on exploitative employers, high-interest lenders, or forced migration. The new systems should however be prepared to be easy, open, and available through clear communication, minimal paperwork, and grievance procedures, so that, what is promised to be supported becomes actually supported. If done well, the push for social security expansion by 2026 could mark a turning point toward more inclusive, resilient economies.
