PM Barzani reviews digitization work of KRG social security
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Wednesday visited the Directorate of Social Security in Erbil to closely review the digitization process of the public office as part of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) efforts to be paperless by 2025.
Accompanied by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and the head of KRG Information Technology Department, Barzani was briefed on the work of the government directorate as well as the digitization process of its functions, including registration of private workers and payments.
Following a visit to the archive rooms of the Directorate, Barzani said his government’s aim is to “digitize all these documents”, through which the citizens' affairs, as well as the government's service provision, will be facilitated.
The premier spoke with the government employees in charge of handling the records as well as those digitizing the documents. He acknowledged the traditional handling of these vital documents might be “time-consuming” for employees.
The first phase of the process is to digitize all the dossiers of the companies and their workers, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Kwestan Mohamad told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.
There are over 40,000 files, some of which date back to the mid-1970s, related to social insurance in the government. Beginning in Erbil, 6,000 dossiers have been recorded on a digital platform, the minister said, adding if the process goes at its current pace, the initial phase will be concluded in less than three months.
We will transform our social security system into a regional role model.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) June 14, 2023
A system of sustainable universal coverage that ensures adequate standard of living, protects and invests in our people, and contributes to Kurdistan’s long-term social and economic development -mb. pic.twitter.com/Psn5u6jmM9
Social insurance
As part of his visit, Barzani took the chance to shed light on the important work of the directorate in providing social security for workers in the private sector.
“Government’s goal to register all workers at Directorate of Social Insurance,” he said, calling on all the ministries to work along with the office to undertake the endeavor.
Once all the private workers are registered, Barzani said, the process would help the government, and job creation prospects as well encourage the unemployed to seek job opportunities in the private sector.
So far, only 10 percent of the private workforce in the Kurdistan Region have social insurance.
We will reform social security to bring coverage to Kurdistani workers, secure their rights and future. pic.twitter.com/slqMyLh6ty
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) June 14, 2023
Barzani explained that social insurances are not a form of “taxation”, rather it is to guarantee the rights of workers.
As part of the government’s Digital Transformation Strategy, announced in October last year, the government aims to be paperless by 2025.
A number of public services have been digitized since then, including KRG visa applications, digital driving licenses, company registration, as well as new banking services.
