SOCIEUX+ in Peru: Improving social protection for labour migrants and atypical workers
Extending social coverage to atypical workers
In 2016, only 33% of 16 million economically active people in Peru were covered by a social protection programme (public or private), leaving over 10 million people without coverage.
Among them, atypical workers (workers in microenterprises, part-time workers, auto-entrepreneurs and self-employed workers) are the most vulnerable group: over 75% of them do not have access to a pension scheme.
In this context, the priority of the Social Security Directorate of MTPE is to identify innovative ways to extend social protection coverage for health and pensions to these vulnerable groups. Understanding the practices to extend social protection coverage will help decision-makers enrich the debate on the reforms related to social protection and possibly contribute to reducing the number of atypical workers without coverage.
Ensuring the portability of social rights for Peruvians working abroad
Furthermore, in recent decades, there has been a regular increase in Peruvian emigration and, in 2018, over 10% of Peruvian citizens were living and working abroad – i.e., over 100,000 Peruvians living in the USA, Spain, Argentina, Italy, Chile, Japan and in a number of other countries.
In this context, the establishment of bilateral social security agreements between Peru and these countries is of increasing importance, as they allow migrant workers to apply for jobs abroad and benefit from advantages such as medical coverage, economic benefits, family assistance, etc.
Consequently, the Labour Migration Directorate of MTPE has expressed the desire to increase its capacity to negotiate and establish bilateral conventions for the portability of social rights, given the increasing number of Peruvians working abroad.
The technical assistance of SOCIEUX + for migrant labour rights has been planned in two stages. It will start with an initial evaluation of current models of bilateral social security agreements applicable to Peruvian labour migrants at international level, and the development of a reference model based on European and international standards and best practices.
The second stage will involve the organisation of a training seminar during which SOCIEUX+ experts will present the social protection systems of countries with the largest number of Peruvian migrant workers. These systems may be taken into account by the Peruvian authorities for the future discussions on bilateral agreements.
Find out more about SOCIEUX+
This facility financed by the European Union, which intervenes on demand and within less than 3 months, assists its partners in the development of sustainable, effective, inclusive and equitable social protection systems and labour market policies. It is a flexible and responsive cooperation instrument and has to date benefited over 40 countries around the world.
For more information: www.socieux.eu