10 challenges for social security in Europe

Changing labour markets and the digital economy, followed by population ageing and the technological transition represent the most important challenges facing social security systems in Europe. These and other key insights are found in a new report by the International Social Security Association.

Europe is dealing with complex technological, labour market, demographic and epidemiological transitions, which present challenges for the design, financing and policy priorities of social security systems. The new report – Ten Global Challenges for Social Security: Europe – by the International Social Security Association (ISSA), shows that social security institutions in Europe rank labour markets and the digital economy as their key challenge. This is followed by population ageing, the technological transition, and health and long-term care.

The nature of these top-ranked challenges underscores that all social security systems are operating in a context of unprecedented uncertainty. In some cases this has necessitated a recalibration of the core objectives of social security programmes.

“To address global challenges, European social security must continue to focus on innovation. This is a task for which it is well equipped.” says Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano, Secretary General of the ISSA.

Europe is known for its comprehensive social security systems. In spite of being confronted by numerous challenges, a key conclusion of a new ISSA report is that European social security continues to set the pace for the values of universalism, solidarity, redistribution and equity.

Ranking the challenges

In addition to the top-four challenges, the challenges of “inequalities across the life course” and “higher public expectations” are ranked fifth and sixth. Closing the coverage gap is ranked seventh, while the “employment of young workers”, the “protection of migrant workers” and “new risks, shocks and extreme events” are ranked eighth, ninth and tenth.

While the higher-ranked challenges largely address contextual issues that pose fundamental operational risks (economic, technological, demographic, and epidemiological shifts), the lower priority challenges are linked more to expectations regarding the adequacy of coverage.

The Ten Global Challenges for Social Security: Europe report is a follow up to a ground-breaking global report published by the ISSA in 2016. The reports are based on surveys of ISSA member institutions, public social security institutions, government departments and agencies. The report is published on the occasion of the Regional Social Security Forum for Europe, to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, 14–16 May 2019.

Read more on the ISSA website

www.issa.int/news
www.issa.int/10
www.issa.int/rssf-europe2019

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