In the Senate last week, I asked a question: how many employers are in arrears with their social insurance payments? These are the mandatory contributions meant to protect workers’ pensions, sick leave and other entitlements.

The answer was staggering: 1,738 employers in arrears, affecting 7,475 employees.

That’s 21 per cent of Bermuda’s entire working population — based on the most recent Labour Force Survey total of 36,242 workers. Put plainly, 1 in 5 working people may not be getting the benefits they are owed.

Is this fair?

Is it fair that thousands of Bermudians who show up, work hard and pay their share may one day find their pensions or sick-leave entitlements missing because their employer did not submit the required contributions?

This is more than a bureaucratic lapse. It’s a systemic issue that cuts deep into the financial security of Bermudian workers, especially those outside of the government and international business sectors.

Of Bermuda’s total working population, as per the labour survey in May, about:

• 4,230 work for the Bermuda Government

• 2,437 work for quangos and statutory boards

• 23,039 work for private companies or individuals

It is reasonable to assume that the Government and large international business employers are mostly compliant with social insurance payments. That means the real Bermuda economy — retailers, contractors, restaurants, care providers and small-service businesses — bears the brunt of these arrears. Essentially, the people who keep this country running. If 7,475 people are affected, that’s nearly one third of Bermuda’s local, non-government workforce potentially left unprotected.

What is most alarming is that many of these employees likely don’t know their contributions are not being made. That’s the hidden danger. You work hard, pay your share and expect your pension to be there when you need it — only to discover years later that your employer never submitted the payments.

The Attorney-General, in response to my Senate question, confirmed that recovery would rely on government enforcement. But when enforcement is slow, or never happens, it is the worker who loses.

This is especially devastating for people nearing retirement or those who need sick or maternity leave now. It is not just a policy issue; it’s a human one.

We must ask: why are so many employers falling behind? Yes, in some cases, this is deliberate avoidance. But in many others, it is a signal of broader economic strain. Cash-strapped small businesses may be prioritising operational costs just to keep doors open. That does not excuse the behaviour, but it does highlight structural vulnerabilities in our economy that the Government can no longer afford to ignore.

The public deserve answers — it’s time for some accountability and transparency:

• Which sectors of our small-business economy are most affected?

• How much money is outstanding?

• What’s being done to recover it?

• What protections are in place for employees?

And perhaps most importantly: why has this issue not been addressed sooner? This is not a new problem, but it is one that can no longer remain hidden in data tables and audit reports.

If you’re employed, check your social insurance status. You can contact the Department of Social Insurance or the Accountant-General’s Office to confirm whether your contributions are being made. This is your right.

But individual vigilance is not enough. The Government must act. We need:

• Mandatory annual statements to all employees showing their contribution history

• Targeted audits of high-risk industries

• Real consequences for directors who break the law

At a time when the Government points to a 1.6 per cent unemployment rate and rising median incomes as signs of prosperity, these social insurance arrears expose a troubling undercurrent: the people propping up our economy are being left behind.

We need a plan. A real plan to grow the economy, support small businesses and protect workers. That is what we at the One Bermuda Alliance have laid out in our platform, our Throne Speech response and our Budget reply. Because fairness, transparency and economic security should not be optional; they should be the foundation of our future.

• Victoria Cunningham is an opposition senator and the spokeswoman in the Senate for education, health, legal affairs and the Cabinet Office. She ran in Warwick West (Constituency 28) in the February 2025 General Election