'Self-employed workers, working business owners now obligated to subscribe to SSC'

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation (SSC) on Tuesday said it has started a new phase under which it will include self-employed workers, business owners and company shareholders under its umbrella.

The segments in question are now obligated to subscribe to SSC as of January, according to the Social Security Law.

SSC Director General Nadia Rawabdeh said business owners who work at their establishments are obligated to subscribe to SSC, but those who do not are only required to subscribe their employees.

"The same applies to company shareholders," she said at a press conference on Tuesday, according to an SSC statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Rawabdeh underlined the importance of the step, which is in line with the corporation's vision to include all segments of society within its network.

She noted that workers in the industrial and trade sectors will benefit from workplace injury insurance as of the first day of subscription.

"The new move is also in line with professional associations' demands," the SSC director general highlighted, adding that public transport drivers, including taxi drivers, are included in the decision.

"More than 50,000 drivers are self-employed," she said.

According to 2013 statistics, business owners and self-employed people constitute 14.6 per cent of the workforce in Jordan.

"This is around 184,000 people, a huge number of whom will be covered by the corporation under the new decision," Rawabdeh said.