arabic countries

Jobs in MENA: How transforming pension systems can boost inclusion, equity, and prosperity

Submitted by pmassetti on
worldbank.org (29.05.2025) Pension systems globally have faced challenges in fulfilling their commitment to providing adequate financial security for individuals in their old age. In developing countries, pension coverage is often low, and benefits frequently fall below the poverty line. The design of the pensions systems, among other factors, tend to exacerbate informality, with only a fraction of formal workers receiving pensions. The low coverage and the little redistribution leads low wage workers to end up subsidizing high wage workers.
Regions / Country
arabic countries
Topics
Pensions
Document Type

Facilitating transition between social assistance and social insurance

Submitted by pmassetti on
ILO (25.02.2025) - Conceptual framework and review of global good practices for countries in the Arab Region - Ensuring bridges between different social protection programmes and financing mechanisms - including smooth transition paths (forward and backward) between social assistance and social insurance schemes - has increasingly become an important issue in many developing countries. This has the potential to create better impetus for accessing formal employment, expand social protection coverage, stabilize income, reduce vulnerabilities.
Regions / Country
arabic countries
Global challenges
Topics
Extension of coverage
Document Type

Country profiles on the rights and wellbeing of older persons: a how-to-guide from the Arab region

Submitted by pmassetti on
HelpAge International (22.03.2025) A practical guide to developing and using country profiles on the rights and wellbeing of older persons in the Arab region, based on HelpAge and UNFPA’s experience across 18 countries.
Regions / Country
arabic countries
Global challenges
Topics
Old-age pensions
Document Type

Can Flexible Jobs Drive the Future of Work? Lessons from MENA

Submitted by pmassetti on
The evolving nature of work is prompting a global shift towards more adaptable and flexible employment practices. However, NSEs face obstacles due to their unique nature of fluctuating income, instability, and administrative barriers that complicate their inclusion in labor and social protection systems.
Regions / Country
arabic countries
Topics
Extension of coverage
Platform workers
Digital plateform workers
Document Type

Social protection for migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A regional mapping of provisions on paper and in practice

Submitted by pmassetti on

ilo.org (28.11.2023) Challenges of extending social protection to migrant workers are particularly evident in the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), where migrants comprise between 76 per cent (Saudi Arabia) and 95 per cent (Qatar) of the workforce. Such a large share implies a need to better understand the current state of social protection coverage for migrant workers, and the factors that determine the level of coverage afforded to them.

Regions / Country
arabic countries
Topics
Extension of coverage
Migration
Document Type

Arab Region Social Protection Systems: Research and Policy Design Challenges

Submitted by pmassetti on

ids.ac.uk (16.10.2023) This article examines the challenges and opportunities that exist for the production of knowledge and the design of evidence-based policies which aim at achieving more equitable and inclusive social protection systems in the Arab region. The article builds on the experiences of researchers and activists following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and considers the challenges they faced.

Regions / Country
arabic countries
Topics
Social policies & programmes

The Dynamics of the Right to Social Protection in the Arab Region: Exploring the Role of the State in Changing Times

Submitted by pmassetti on

Arab Reform Initiative (June 2023) Most Arab countries are currently experiencing a critical juncture in their history, encompassing not only political, social, and economic aspects but also legal dimensions. In contrast to many other regions, Arab societies are undergoing significant transformations, influenced by two fundamental factors: the digital revolution and economic globalization, and their wide-ranging social implications.

Regions / Country
arabic countries
Document Type

Extending social protection to migrant workers in the Arab region

Submitted by pmassetti on

ILO (June 2023) An analysis of existing barriers and good practices in light of international social security standards. This research paper aims to examine barriers to the social security of migrant workers in the Arab region, identify current practices and chart possible avenue for progressive reform.

Regions / Country
arabic countries
Global challenges
Topics
Extension of coverage
Migration
Document Type

Social protection system and formal and informal programmes in Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon

Submitted by pmassetti on

euromed-economists.org (July 2023)  This policy paper delves into the importance of robust social protection systems in promoting dignity and security for all individuals. Focusing on Egypt, Tunisia, and Lebanon, the paper examines the current landscape of formal and informal social protection mechanisms. It identifies challenges and presents policy recommendations, with a particular emphasis on the development of Micro-social Protection Programme schemes (MSPP).

Regions / Country
egypt
tunisia
lebanon
arabic countries
Global challenges
Topics
Extension of coverage
Document Type

Built to Include: Reimagining Social Protection in the Middle East and North Africa

Submitted by pmassetti on

worldbank.org (June 2023) Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, limited work opportunities and low-productivity informal work have played a significant role in increasing poverty and vulnerability in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Regions / Country
Africa
arabic countries
Global challenges
Document Type