By Christine Fabro
The Social Security System (SSS) posted a 13.6% decrease in paying members, according to a press release on Monday (June 28).
From 14.2 million paying members in May 2020, the SSS recorded a drop of paying members to 12.3 million in May 2021.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora Ignacio attributed the decline in paying members to the economic impact of COVID-19, which pushed some establishments to close their businesses and retrench their employees.
According to SSS data, the latest paying member tally comprises 9.6 million employed members, accounting for 78% of the total members.
Meanwhile, the number of voluntary paying members is 1.9 million, self-employed members are 476,000, and the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) are 333,000.
SSS cited Philippine Statistics Authority data showing that about 3.44 million Filipinos are unemployed as of April 2021.
To counter this, SSS extended the contribution payment deadlines by up to five times since the start of government-imposed community quarantines in March 2020. – jlo
