India has signed 18 Social Security Agreements from 2009 till 2016. Social Security Agreements (SSAs) are bilateral treaties, which allow export of social security benefits, totalisation of insurance periods, and prevent dual contribution of social security in the country of origin and destination for inter-corporate transfers. Thus, the SSAs help in protecting the interest of workers, and in increasing circular migration of highly skilled labour.

 

Since SSAs are of recent origin in the context of India, a systematic study on Indian SSAs has not yet been undertaken. A key policy question in this context is promotion of circular migration of highly skilled labour willing to migrate to other countries.  In this paper, we summarise the existing framework of SSAs in India, understand the demographics of people utilising SSAs (using a novel dataset) and discuss some areas of concern. The key policy issues in this field pertain to detachment benefits, totalization procedure and  ensuring greater coverage under these agreements.