Tunisia's Minister of Social Affairs, Issam Lahmar, has announced a draft law to restructure the country's social security system. The reform aims to expand social coverage to new categories of workers, including platform economy workers, remote workers, and those with irregular or occasional activities. This move seeks to address the current system's limitations and ensure a more inclusive social safety net.
The current social security system in Tunisia relies on contributions from various parties and a distribution mechanism. However, it has historically struggled to accommodate workers with irregular or insufficient income, such as daily workers and street vendors. The proposed reform will allow these workers to contribute according to their financial means, with the state providing support when necessary to ensure their social coverage.
One of the key changes is the introduction of a contribution system that takes into account the financial capacity of workers. For instance, a contribution of 210 dinars has been deemed difficult for some categories to afford. The new system will enable workers to contribute based on their means, and the state will intervene to support their social coverage if their contributions are insufficient to meet the required threshold.
The reform also aims to diversify social security regimes to integrate new forms of employment, such as remote work, digital platform economy, and intermittent professional activities. This move is expected to provide a more comprehensive social safety net for workers in these emerging sectors. By expanding coverage to these new categories of workers, the government hopes to move towards universal social coverage.
In addition to the reform of the social security system, the government plans to establish a complementary social accompaniment mechanism to support individuals who are exiting the current system or lack the financial means to access social security regimes. This mechanism, which will complement the "Amen" program, aims to provide a form of protection for those who do not meet the conditions for contributory schemes.
The proposed reform has been presented as a means of achieving universal social coverage, ensuring that no categories of the population are left excluded from the social protection system. The draft law is still under preparation, and the precise modalities of contribution, concerned benefits, conditions for state intervention, and implementation timeline will be detailed in accompanying texts.
The evaluation of the financial balance of the social security system will be carried out over a 30-year horizon to guarantee its sustainability. The minister emphasized that the reform will address both the governance and management of social security organizations and the various social security regimes. The new system is expected to provide a more equitable and sustainable social safety net for all workers in Tunisia.
Key points
- The reform aims to expand social coverage to platform workers, remote workers, and irregular workers.
- The new system will allow workers to contribute according to their financial means.
- The reform seeks to achieve universal social coverage and ensure the sustainability of the social security system.
