Access to Social Protection by Immigrants, Emigrants and Resident Nationals in Ecuador

Abstract

Formal labour and affiliation to Ecuador’s social security system is the main gateway for access to social protection benefits, especially in the case of migrants. However, a large informal labour market and low levels on inclusion in the social security system forces large sectors of society to rely on family and community arrangements for the management of risk and economic uncertainty. The state provides some non-contributory benefits through cash transfer programs but, with the exception of health care, these only cover people living in conditions of extreme poverty. Universal, non-means tested programs are limited to the public health and education systems. Overall, migrants face several obstacles to access social protection benefits. Gaining the right to work legally is mostly reserved for white-collar and highly educated immigrants, excluding impoverished immigrants. Paired to the inability to access labour-related benefits and government programs for the so-called poor, immigrants lack the safety nets provided by extended family and a community setting. Nationals residing abroad have restricted access to social benefits, having access only to the contributory pension system on a voluntary basis. This chapter discusses the social protection system in Ecuador and focuses on eligibility criteria to show the extent of migrants’ access to the social benefits.