His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday acted as patron at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Social Security Corporation (SSC), during which he gave the go-ahead for the official launch of an SSC campaign to expand its subscriber base.



The King also inaugurated the new SSC premises in the capital and the subregional branch of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), which is housed in the SSC headquarters.



In his address at the ceremony, Minister of Labour Bassem Salem said the SSC was “implementing an integrated strategy aimed at expanding the umbrella of subscription to cover all sections of Jordanian society and Jordanian expatriates.”



The current number of SSC subscribers stands at half a million, constituting about 35 per cent of the country's 1.25 million-strong workforce, including licensed guest labour.



By 2007, the deadline for wrapping up the SSC's three-year strategy, the corporation seeks to encompass 60 per cent of the workforce under its umbrella.



SSC Director General Khalid Wazani said the corporation was encouraging “optional subscription,” which applies to Jordanian expatriates among other categories such as establishments that employ less than five people. He said the SSC liaison office, opened in Saudi Arabia early this year, had attracted 2,000 Jordanian subscribers working there by the end of the first quarter.



At the end of the silver jubilee ceremony yesterday, King Abdullah honoured former chairpersons and directors general of the SSC, along with other figures that have supported the corporation over the past 25 years.

The Jordan Times