Income is one of the important factors affecting the economic empowerment of informal sector workers. Income is also closely related to the ability of informal sector workers to participate in social security. Therefore, this article aims to dig deeper into how the income of informal sector workers affects the expansion of access to employment and social security. The information in this article comes from the findings of a 2019 study conducted in North Sumatra, West Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara by the Research Center for Population, LIPI. This study used a mixed-methods approach by using quantitative and qualitative data. This study indicates that income in the informal sector is mostly less than one million rupiahs and impacts access to participation in social security. This condition will jeopardize the expansion of access of social security participants to jobs in the informal sector. An accident at work and the lack of social protection are significant sources of vulnerability for informal workers. If they do not have access to basic income security, they will be trapped in poverty and social exclusion. In comparison, the social security scheme should target this vulnerable group as the target of the expansion program. Besides the low income, it is also related to the lack of awareness of informal sector workers about the importance of social security participation. This is a big challenge for individual welfare and Indonesia's economic development and social welfare. Therefore, serious efforts are needed in the form of a policy of assisting; promoting a comprehensive and integrated strategy for the extension of coverage; raising awareness, sharing information and enhancing trust; guaranteeing an adequate level of benefits; embedding social protection in an integrated approach to facilitate the transition from the formal to the informal economy.