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Singapore: Paid parental leave coming in 2025
wtwco.com (30.08.2024) In an effort to address dramatically low birth rates, Singapore proposes new employer-paid leave to support working parents that would be rolled out in two phases starting in 2025.
Investigating social protection amongst platform workers in Germany: forced individualisation, hybrid income generation and undesired regulation
researchgate.net (September 2024) The social protection of platform workers is considered one of the most precarious features and political challenges of this new form of employment. Still, there have only been a few empirical investigations on this issue to date. This article presents an explorative empirical analysis of the social protection of platform workers in Germany - a conservative welfare regime with a strong link between standard employment and institutionalised social protection. On the basis of an online survey amongst 719 self-employed platform workers, we examine how different employment patterns correspond to institutionalised protection against sickness and old age. We empirically explore different protection types and analyse how they differ regarding working conditions in platform work and individual social policy preferences. Findings reveal that conditions of platform work and social protection as well as demands and regulatory preferences vary notably across different clusters of platform workers. Still, the vast majority votes against obligatory social insurances for platform workers and favours self-employment over dependent employment. Against this background, we discuss challenges for future attempts aiming at improving social protection for platform workers. This study adds to the literature by empirically exploring platform workers' social protection and social policy preferences, which have been overlooked to date.
South Korea: Improving family leave benefits to boost birth rates
wtwco.com (24.09.2024) With fertility rates among the lowest in the world, South Korea looks to jumpstart more births by boosting paid parental leave benefits and childcare entitlements.
China's retirement age reforms not enough to fix pension headache
reuters (24.09.2024) China's move to raise retirement ages is a starting point to plug gaping pension deficits and bolster a shrinking workforce but more pain lies ahead as the economy slows, making further reforms urgent, say economists and demographers.
Aging populations are a global phenomenon, but the issue is particularly stark in China due to the legacy of its one-child-policy, which was in place for three decades and has exacerbated its demographic challenges.
Dutch pension funds to report CO2 reduction progress
ipe.com 817.09.2024) Pension funds should report annually about the progress they make in meeting their CO2 reduction targets. They must also provide more insight into their sustainable investments, Dutch pension regulator DNB announced on its website.
India is formalising measures to protect the rights of gig and platform workers
ullekhnp.com (20.09.2024) The latest announcement from the Union labour ministry is that it has asked technology-based platforms and aggregators to get all gig workers engaged by them to register on the e-Shram portal, a centralised database of informal workers, where they can avail of health insurance and other facilities, including unemployment benefits, maternity benefits, and accident injury coverage through the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).
As of now, gig workers are eligible only for minimum social-security benefits. A July 2024 statement from the government stated that “for the first time, the definition of ‘gig workers’ and ‘platform workers’ has been provided in the Code on Social Security, 2020.” Code on Social Security is one of the four codes that the Union government has brought in with the aim of consolidating previous labour laws. These four deal with wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety.
Parental Leave: Economic Incentives and Cultural Change
IZA - Institute of Labor Economics (August 2024) The distribution of parental leave uptake and childcare activities continues to conform to traditional gender roles. In 2002, with the goal of increasing gender equality, Sweden added a second "daddy month," i.e., an additional month of pay-related parental leave reserved exclusively for each parent. This policy increased men's parental leave uptake and decreased women's, thereby increasing men's share. To understand how various factors contributed to these outcomes, we develop and estimate a quantitative model of the household in which preferences towards parental leave respond to peer behavior. We distinguish households by the education of the parents and ask the model to match key features of the parental leave distribution before and after the reform by gender and household type (the parents' education). We find that changed incentives and, especially, changed social norms played an important role in generating these outcomes whereas changed wage parameters, including the future wage penalty associated with different lengths of parental leave uptake, were minor contributors. We then use our model to evaluate three counterfactual policies designed to increase men's share of parental leave and conclude that giving each parent a non-transferable endowment of parental leave or only paying for the length of time equally taken by each parent would both dramatically increase men's share whereas decreasing childcare costs has almost no effect.
Étude comparative des dépenses et du financement de la protection sociale en France et en Allemagne
oecd (13.09.2024) Les dépenses sociales publiques ont triplé en 60 ans, atteignant 21 % du PIB en 2022, mais avec des variations significatives entre les pays de l'OCDE. Cette hausse à long terme est liée au développement des États-providence, au vieillissement de la population et à une succession de chocs économiques qui ont entraîné des augmentations progressives des ratios de dépenses sociales par rapport au PIB, dont ils ne se sont que partiellement remis. Ce document compare les systèmes de protection sociale en France et en Allemagne, en analysant les règles institutionnelles, l'efficacité des programmes, les sources de financement, et l'impact des politiques fiscales et sociales sur différents types de familles. Il évalue également les réformes depuis 2015, en se concentrant sur les revenus des ménages, les incitations au travail et les coûts de la main-d'œuvre.
Aging and Health: Policy Considerations for Long-term Care
worldbank.org (12.09,2024) Providing care for older parents or parents-in-law significantly reduces the probability of employment and annual earnings, particularly among women and intensive caregivers, which remains the most prevalent form of long-term care (LTC) for older adults. Addressing the growing care needs of older adults requires increasing coordination, integration, and capacity building within the health and long-term care systems. Engaging the private sector can help bridge the gap between supply and demand of LTC. Governments play a crucial role in providing and regulating LTC services, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where progress has been slow and uneven. Many countries have taken steps towards implementing LTC services, but more is needed to improve access, affordability, and quality of services. A person-centered approach with multiple options supports greater access to LTC services.
Securing access to long-term care without hardship as an integral part of universal social protection systems
ilo.org (01.04.2024) This brief presents the role of universal social protection in securing access to long-term care (LTC). Effective LTC financing strategies include dedicated schemes, top-up pension benefits, expansion of disability benefits, and integration within social health protection packages. Defining a comprehensive benefits package and ensuring financial protection are crucial, with international standards recommending minimal copayments to avoid hardship. High out-of-pocket payments can impoverish older adults and erode insufficient pensions. Addressing knowledge gaps is vital for evidence-based policies, especially for low- and middle-income countries, as most data on LTC pertains to high-income nations. Ensuring universal health coverage and extending social health protection, particularly for groups most affected by climate change, is urgently needed.
China to gradually raise retirement age
Xinhua (13.09.2024) Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a decision on gradually raising the statutory retirement age in the country, marking the first adjustment in the arrangement since 1950s.
According to the decision adopted at the 11th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, the statutory retirement age for men will be gradually raised from 60 to 63 in the course of 15 years starting 2025, while that for women cadres and women blue-collar workers will be raised from 55 to 58 and from 50 to 55, respectively.
Social protection plays a key role in countering climate change impact but countries most impacted by the climate crisis are the least prepared
International Labour Organization (12.09.2024) Governments must do more to utilize universal social protection to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change and achieve a just transition, according to a new ILO report.
Singapore passes landmark Bill recognising ride-hail, delivery gig workers as distinct labour class
The Straits Times (11.09.2024) Cabbies, private-hire drivers and freelance delivery workers who rely on online matching platforms for income will get better labour protection from Jan 1, 2025, after Parliament passed a landmark Bill on Sept 10 designating them as a distinct legal category in between employees and the self-employed.
Working till your 70s — Japan's prospective gift to the world
The Japan Times (05.09.2024) Japanese people are living longer, but with a struggling pension system and the highest inflation in decades, more are delaying retirement until their 70s or later to make ends meet.
Japan has some of the longest lifespans in the world, with men living an average of 81 years and women 87 years. This longevity strains the nation’s pension system, making it a case study for other developed countries with similar demographic trends.
Minimum Income and Social Inclusion Pathways – A review of selected European Union programs
worldbank.org (30.07.2024) Across European Union (EU) countries, the institutional design of Minimum Income (MI) programs varies widely in terms of the benefits and services provided to recipients, despite significant convergence toward a similar MI model and shared common approaches. This discussion paper investigates the delivery of social inclusion pathways, i.e., non-monetary support components to foster MI recipients’ social inclusion and highlights common challenges and good practices across eight EU case study countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden). The paper shows that while some countries prioritize labor activation for workforce reintegration of MI recipients, others aim for broader social inclusion, recognizing the challenges in integrating such recipients into the labor market due to their complex needs. Moreover, the paper examines how the social inclusion pathway and case management interventions in MI programs affect recipient’s welfare within poverty-targeted programs. It notes the lack of evidence on the effectiveness and impact of social inclusion pathways within MIs and mentions ongoing evaluations in Spain, Italy, and France to address this gap.
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The geopolitical ripple effect of Asia’s ageing population
lowyinstitute.org (28.09.2024) Economies, cultures and foreign policy objectives are set to evolve with the region’s shifting demographics.
India: Government To Bring Gig Workers Under Social Security Net Via e-Shram Portal
swarajyamag.com (02.09.2024) The government will soon allow gig and platform workers to register on the e-Shram portal, ensuring they are covered under social security schemes, Union Labour & Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Sunday (1 September). Mandaviya highlighted that aggregators — companies that employ gig and platform workers — will be asked to take the lead in registering their workers on the portal.
India: Govt mulls reworking migrant, gig worker definitions
hindustantimes.com (29.08.2024) The Union labour ministry is reviewing definitions of migrant and gig workers to enhance inclusivity and clarity, covering intra-state migrations and digital platforms.
Singapore: MOM announces implementation date for the Platform Workers CPF Transition Support
indiatimes.com (27.08.2024) The government will now offset 100% of the increase in CPF contributions for lower-income platform workers in 2025, up from the previously announced 75%. These initiatives mark a significant step towards improving the welfare and representation of platform workers in Singapore.
China plans "bigger, stronger"social security fund to aid ageing society
Reuters (20.08.2024) China will beef up its 2.88 trillion yuan ($406 billion) social security fund, making it bigger and stronger to help support its rapidly ageing population as the number of new births and younger workforce to support its seniors shrinks.
The National Social Security Fund will "effectively" respond to population ageing and "improve the policy mechanism for the development of the elderly care industry," the fund's party secretary Ding Xuedong said.