ILO's report on social security exposes the dire situation of a majority of world's population
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World Social Protection Report: ILO
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- The story: In September 2021, the International Labour Organization released a report titled ‘World Social Protection Report 2020–22’. The ILO is a global thought-leader in statistical compilation of all aspects of work, workforce and labour issues.
- Finding: It revealed that globally 4.1 billion people were living without any social safety net of any kind. That is a humongous number!
- It found that pandemic response was uneven and insufficient. So, Covid-19 further tells us of the critical importance of achieving universal social protection. Indians have witnessed it, when crores of migrant workers were forced to walk back home, during the 2020 lockdown period.
- The ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the only tripartite UN agency. It brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
- Social Security: It is a comprehensive approach designed to prevent deprivation, give assurance to the individual of a basic minimum income for himself and his dependents and to protect the individual from any uncertainties. Social protection includes access to health care and income security measures related especially to old age, unemployment, sickness, disability, work injury, maternity or the loss of the main breadwinner in a family, as well as extra support for families with children.
- Highlights:
- Global Population with Social Protection: In 2020, only 46.9% of the global population benefitted from at least one protection under the ambit of social security.
- Challenges by Covid-19 Pandemic: Pervasive challenges such as high levels of economic insecurity, persistent poverty, rising inequality, extensive informality and a fragile social contract have been exacerbated by Covid-19.
- Persisting Inequalities: There are significant regional inequalities in social protection, with Europe and Central Asia having the highest rates of coverage - 84% of people are covered by at least one benefit. The Americas are also above the global average, with 64.3%, while Asia and the Pacific (44%), the Arab States (40%), and Africa (17.4%) have marked coverage gaps.
- Disparity in Social Security Expenditure: Countries spend on average 12.9% of their GDP on social protection (excluding health), but this figure masks staggering variations.
- Limited Protection to Women, Children And Disabled Peoples: Globally, the vast majority of children still have no effective social protection coverage – only one in four children (26.4%) receives a social protection benefit. Just 45% of women with newborns receive a cash maternity benefit.
- Limited Unemployment Protection: A mere 18.6% of unemployed workers worldwide have effective coverage for unemployment and thus actually receive unemployment benefits. This remains the least developed branch of social protection.
- Indian situation: From time to time, governments launch programmes to provide social security to citizens. These include - Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the National Health Policy 2017, Social Security Code 2020, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM), Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY), One Nation One Ration Card, Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
- But poverty has risen sharply in India in recent years, as Pew Research data indicated in 2021.
- The informal sector has suffered significant damage after the demonetisation and GST rollout, and continues to struggle even as large corporates garner more market share across industries.
- The road ahead: Effective and comprehensive social protection is not just essential for social justice and decent work but for creating a sustainable and resilient future too. Establishing universal social protection and realizing the human right to social security for all is the cornerstone of a human-centred approach to obtaining social justice. India needs more fiscal support on the demand side, so that people's incomes may be maintained.
- EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the basic idea behind social security nets. Why does half of humanity lack it? Analyse. (2) What are the various components of social security? Explain. Which ones of these are available in India?
#SocialSecurity #ILO #Pandemic #HumanRights #Workers
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