THE Social Security System’s (SSS) new members reached a record high of 2.4 million in the first seven months of the year.

In a statement, SSS president and chief executive officer Rolando Macasaet said the number of new SSS members from January to July 2024 surged by 165 percent from 923,000 new members recorded in the same period last year.

Macasaet said in previous years, SSS usually averaged around one million new members annually. 

For this year, SSS targeted two million new registrants.

“SSS took the challenge and even went the extra mile. In the first six months, we hit our year’s target of two million new members, a positive result of our massive membership and coverage drives throughout the country,” Macasaet said.

Macasaet underscored this milestone reflects SSS’ commitment to expand its membership and reach all working Filipinos.

“The implications of this record membership are profound because it means more Filipinos will have access to a comprehensive set of social security benefits from SSS. The social security protection offered by SSS can help safeguard the financial well-being of Filipino families, particularly during times of uncertainty,” Macasaet said.

SSS executive vice president Voltaire Agas reported the highest number of new members came from prior registrants, totaling 1.2 million. 

Prior registrants are individuals who already have SS numbers but have not yet been reported as covered employees or self-employed members.

“We observed a significant increase in new self-employed members, which surged by 273 percent, from 112,000 in 2023 to 419,000 in 2024. Additionally, the number of new overseas Filipino worker members more than doubled, rising to 10,300 in 2024 from just over 5,000 last year,” Agas said.

Data showed Luzon recorded the highest number of new members, with more than 882,000. 

The National Capital Region came in second with over 693,000 new enrollees. Mindanao and Visayas followed with 436,000 and 417,000, respectively.

Meanwhile, over 10,000 new members came from international operations.

Macasaet expressed optimism that SSS could reach four to five million new members by the end of 2024.

“SSS will sustain this growth trajectory in the coming months as we aim for a historic peak in new member registrations,” he said.