February Trends in Foreign Social Security Participation
In February, the Social Security average recorded a notable uptick in foreign participation, with 30,684 foreign workers joining the system. This marks a 1.2 percent rise from the prior month, bringing the year’s closely watched migrant worker total to 2,466,243 in the system. The pace suggests a steady rebound after the late-year declines and confirms continued engagement from the foreign workforce within the social protection framework.
As the month progressed, foreign membership moved back into positive territory after the strains observed in November 2022 and December 2022, when the system reflected decreases of 5,720 and 3,933 foreign participants respectively, followed by a further drop in January 2023 with 25,160 fewer participants. These movements illustrate the volatility that occasionally accompanies migration flows and the adjustments in participation levels across months.
The February landscape shows a gender distribution among foreign contributors: 56.1 percent were male, totaling 1,384,405, while 43.9 percent were female, amounting to 1,081,838. This breakdown reflects the diverse composition of the foreign workforce contributing to social security, highlighting both the scale and the gender balance within the migrant workforce. The data comes from the Department of Inclusion, Social Security and Immigration.
In seasonally adjusted terms, foreign membership in the SGK rose by 17,478 during February, reaching a cumulative total of 2,549,823 employees. This figure is approximately 360,000 higher than the level before the pandemic and more than 214,000 above the count from last year, underscoring a sustained recovery in foreign participation within the social security system.
Overall, February’s figures point to a resilient foreign presence in the Social Security framework, with continued growth from prior months and a favorable comparison to pre-pandemic levels. The reported data, provided by the appropriate government department, underscores ongoing efforts to integrate foreign workers into the social protection system while tracking shifts in migrant participation over time.