MPF Pension: Bridging Pension Gaps for Mobile Migrant Workers by Enhancing Access to and Portability of Pension Rights

Summary

Temporary or circular international migration—characterised by work abroad for several months to years without permanent settlement—has become increasingly important in global labour markets. While this model supports development through remittances and knowledge transfer, many migrants lose access to pension entitlements due to fragmented systems and the absence of bilateral social security agreements. In this respect, the project will:

• Analyse existing policies and social security agreements with regard to pension-relevant regulations as well as practical implementation and aspects for access to pension entitlements and pension transfers for migrants in selected EU countries, with a specific focus on four selected countries of origin (India, Tunisia, the Philippines, and Nigeria).
• Describe and assess legal conditions to access pension benefits (e.g. accumulation of contribution periods, transfer of contributions) in case of the existence and non-existence of bilateral social security agreements between the selected EU Member States and the selected third countries.
• Compile promising practices and policy recommendations for improving the portability of pension rights for TCNs within the EU.
• Formulate policy and operational recommendations, highlighting replicable practices to enhance access to pensions and the portability of contributions, with a particular focus on EU frameworks, such as talent partnership concepts or the EU Skills and Talent Package, which could benefit from improvements in this area.

Improving the understanding of legal, institutional, and practical barriers is essential to promote fair and inclusive mobility partnerships between EU Member States and third countries.