Foreign workers paid €200 million in social security contributions

Social security contributions by foreign nationals totalled more than €200 million in 2021, a six-fold increase over 2012, information tabled in parliament shows.

The increase corresponds with the exponential growth of foreign workers since 2014, which formed the basis of government’s economic growth strategy.  

The numbers tabled by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana in reply to a question by Nationalist MP Ryan Callus, show that the first significant year-on-year increase happened between 2014 and 2015.

After 2015, the national insurance contributions by foreign nationals continued to rise exponentially every year.

Employees pay 10% of their income, subject to a maximum capping, as social security contributions. In turn, employers pay an equivalent amount for each of their employees. Self-employed persons pay the full contribution.

In 2012, the combined NI contributions of foreign workers and their employers stood at €30 million. Two years later social security contributions by foreign workers increased to €44 million and in 2016 these jumped up to €78 million.

The last available data is for 2021, showing that the combined contributions by foreign workers and their employers surpassed the €200 million mark.

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