The Social Security Media Monitor offers a selection of social security news articles from media around the world. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the ISSA is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Digital platforms in the Italian domestic care sector: The emergence of an unprecedented corporate logic and its implications for workers' social protection - PAIS - 2024 - International Labour Review - Wiley Online Library
International Labour Review (Sept 2024) This article explores the heterogeneity of care platforms using the case studies of two platforms in the Italian domestic work sector: one that carries out matching between supply and demand (Helpling), reinforcing informality in the sector, and one that acts as an employer (Batmaid). The analysis shows that digital platforms can introduce a corporate logic into a sector where it was previously absent. This creates a potential for company-level bargaining for both platforms and related models – something that trade unions have, so far, not considered owing to a lack of recognition of the needs of platform domestic workers.
Strong action is needed to make retirement systems more inclusive, resilient and innovative | OECD
oecd.org (02.12.2024) The design and governance of asset-backed pensions should be enhanced to foster more inclusive and resilient systems, secure better outcomes for individuals and contribute to sustainable economic growth and innovation, according to new analysis from the OECD.
Pension assets in OECD countries grew by 10% in 2023, reaching over USD 56 trillion, more than triple the level seen two decades ago. Total assets hit USD 63 trillion after adding pension reserve funds held by governments. The 2023 total is 5% below the level seen in 2021, according to Pension Markets in Focus 2024.
Growth in 2023 resulted from positive returns in equity markets and positive cashflows from contributions exceeding benefit payments. The new report analyses this growth and its underlying drivers, comparing it with long-term trends.
Against the backdrop of ageing populations and other economic challenges, a second OECD report, Pensions Outlook 2024, calls for new action to address coverage gaps. The report highlights the importance of ensuring individuals have access to appropriate retirement income and of innovative approaches, such as options for pooling risks and leveraging home equity.
How are countries responding to the ageing workforce challenge?
jdsupra.com (25.11.2024) Pension systems, designed when populations were younger and life expectancy shorter, are now under immense pressure. To mitigate the impact of an ageing population, governments around the world are starting to implement a raft of measures. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, nations are amending pension laws and updating regulations to adapt to the changing demographics. Let’s delve into the details together to examine how countries are reacting to demographic shifts across countires.
Affordability of long-term care systems in times of rapid population ageing
CEPR (29.11.2024) Rapid population ageing is increasing the pressure on public finances to provide adequate support for long-term care recipients. This column compares the impact of diverse social protection measures across 32 OECD and EU countries on poverty rates and out-of-pocket expenses among older adults with care needs. The analysis reveals substantial room for improvement and reforms, with existing systems often unaffordable and badly targeted. The promotion of healthy ageing, proactive use of new technologies to elevate care sector productivity, revision of eligibility rules to enable more targeted and inclusive coverage, diversification of funding sources, and optimisation of income-testing are all viable policy options.
Tunisians share how their life changed through the AMEN Program
worldbank.org (14.11.2024) The Amen Program is a social assistance initiative in Tunisia that targets the country's most vulnerable citizens with cash transfers, medical services, and economic empowerment opportunities.
As of December 2023, the program reached over 333,000 poor households (more than 10% of the population) with monthly cash transfers and more than 620,000 low-income households with free and subsidized healthcare services.
Three Tunisians share their positive experience with AMEN, where 54% of cash transfer beneficiaries are women-headed households and more than 156,000 children under age 5 receive allowances.
Objective-Oriented Health Systems Reform: Implications for Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage
Health Systems & Reform Volume 10, Issue 3 (2024) .
Megatrends and the Future of Social Protection
oecd (22.11.2024) Ageing populations, changing labour markets, and climate change are affecting economies and societies across OECD countries. What challenges do these “megatrends” pose for social protection systems? What are the implications of these trends for the coverage, the effectiveness, and – critically – the funding of social protection today and tomorrow? With an eye towards informing future reforms, this report presents a broad stocktaking of population ageing, changing patterns of labour supply, new and emerging employment forms, changes in household composition and unpaid work, the effects of new technologies on employment and wages, and the effects of climate change and the net zero transition on social protection systems in OECD countries.
Ageing Policies Database
UNECE launched a searchable database on Ageing Policies Database | Browse all policies to search by country, theme, or instrument.
This database presents policy measures that countries across Europe, North America, and Central Asia have been developing to improve the lives of older people, harness the opportunities of longevity and address the challenges of population ageing.
Policy interventions to meet the needs of older persons and bring societal development into harmony with demographic change span across many policy areas including education, health, labour and social affairs. They address challenges such as ageism and take steps towards creating enabling environments for active and healthy ageing.
State of long-term care: conceptual framework for assessment and continuous learning in long-term care systems
who.int (12.11.2024) The State of long-term care (State of LTC) toolkit is designed to support policy- and decision-makers in their efforts to reform and transform long-term care systems by promoting learning, collaboration and trust. It proposes a conceptual framework and a methodological approach to knowledge generation, grounded in participatory governance. The conceptual framework focuses on five key components – population care needs, system inputs, outputs, outcomes and population-level impact – disaggregated into 25 analytical domains. Rooted in a person-centred approach and emphasizing that individual care needs, preferences and expectations should inform system design and reforms, the conceptual framework links in a causal chain structure the available resources in the system to the outputs the system produces and the system-level outcomes obtained. The State of LTC Toolkit is a key deliverable of the European Care Strategy and aims to support the implementation of the Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care.
How Mexico’s reformed pension system is improving workers’ retirement security
Benefits Canada.com (15.11.2024) Earlier this year, Mexico’s senate approved the creation of a new pension fund to help provide more retirement security for low-income citizens.
“Congress approved this change to the pension system, which basically established a new welfare pension fund,” says Pedro Trejo, retirement director at WTW Mexico. “The fund was created to help employees with their retirement savings and the general population that’s involved in the social security system will get the benefit. That means more than 80 per cent of the population in Mexico could benefit from this reform.”
Why is care at the end of life not matching peoples preferences?
OECD (13.11.2024) As populations age and chronic conditions rise, the demand for end-of-life care is becoming a critical issue across OECD countries. Although most people would prefer to die at home, the majority still die in hospitals, partly due to limited access to home-based services. This policy brief explores the gap between people’s preferences for end-of-life care and the care they actually receive, examining factors such as funding allocation, palliative care availability, and the role of family caregivers. It outlines policies that can improve access to home-based care, ensuring that individuals can die in their preferred setting while receiving high-quality, affordable, and people-centred care.
Social protection and climate change financing: Synergies and challenges
Global Social Policy (Nov 2024) The human cost of climate change is stark, with increased poverty and displacement and severe risks to health and livelihoods all predicted. Climate change reproduces existing inequalities, with vulnerability to its effects driven by poverty, inequality and social status (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2022). These factors increase the vulnerability of the poor and subject those in developing countries to greater socio-economic and environmental risks.
Taiwan to launch Long-term Care Plan 3.0 in 2025
taiwannews (10.11.2024) As Taiwan soon becomes a “super-aged” society, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said the Long-term Care Plan 3.0 will be launched in 2025 to provide more assistance to elderly people and caregivers.
Improving care economy is vital to growth and well-being
World Economic Forum (15.10.2024) The care economy not only sustains human activity for current and future generations, but also safeguards the right to both care and receive care. Unpaid care work, if compensated, would represent 9% of global GDP, yet the social and economic value of the care economy remains mostly invisible. We should prioritize the care economy at macroeconomic, policy and cultural levels from a holistic approach to build equitable and sustainable growth.
How to leverage digital tools for social protection
World Economic Forum(23.10.2024) While digital technologies aim to enhance the efficiency of social protection systems for marginalized groups, their implementation often leads to exclusions and a disconnect between citizens and local governance.
To address challenges, especially given the need for social protection for climate resilience of the poor, there is a pressing need for community-based digital solutions that empower citizens.
Effective social protection requires robust informational infrastructure that informs citizens about their rights, available support and how to hold local authorities accountable.
Migrant workers in the care economy
ilo.org (10.11.2024) Migrant workers – especially migrant women – form a critical component of care infrastructures and workforces around the world. However labour migration governance frameworks and protection regimes do not always effectively respond to labour market and employer needs, or sufficiently protect migrant care workers’ rights. This policy brief provides an overview of transformations shaping the growing global demand for care workers, the decent work and labour migration governance challenges which shape outcomes for migrant care workers, and provides recommended policy actions.
Publication: The Regulation of Platform-Based Work: Recent Regulatory Initiatives and Insights for Developing Countries
worldbank.org (04.11.2024) The rapid expansion of the digital economy has transformed the labor market, particularly through the rise of platform-based work. Despite the opportunities it brought into the lives of many workers, the digital economy has presented many challenges to the working conditions of platform workers. This policy brief examines regulatory approaches to protect platform workers across the world and synthesizes the approach to legislation and its scope in the key areas of labor regulations. It includes 23 regulatory reforms in 20 jurisdictions that took place from 2016 to 2024. Our analysis finds that governments take three approaches to regulating platform work: (a) amending the existing labor legislation to platform workers, (b) introducing stand-alone legislation specific to them, and (c) developing measures only to clarify their employment status and extend existing laws for platform workers. Among the countries examined, most of those that introduced regulatory initiatives are high-income countries. Geographically, they are mainly from Europe, North America, and Latin America. In addition, our review suggests that many of the reforms limit their focus to location-based platforms. When it comes to the scope of the legislation, provisions on data privacy, protection, and portability, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and protection against unfair dismissal are most frequently covered by special legislation for platform workers. Employment status determines if workers can access labor rights and social protection. Clarifying employment relationships is thus crucial to improving the working conditions of platform workers. Countries have chosen different approaches to clarify the employment status of these workers. These include (a) clarifying a list of criteria to define employment status, (b) creating a new third category of workers, (c) including the definition of platform workers in the existing category, and (d) introducing specific provisions for contracts. Given the complexity of determining employment relationship, courts still play a key role in determining the employment status in many countries. To improve pay for platform workers, enforcing the existing national minimum wage is the most common approach in setting wage regulations. Given the nature of platform-based work, some regulations include special provisions, such as rules on tips, payment processes, and compensation for work-related costs like equipment.
Report: Is Care Affordable for Older People?
oecd (29.10.2024) With population ageing, the demand for helping older people with daily activities – so-called long-term care – is set to increase across OECD countries by more than one-third by 2050. Older people with long-term care needs are more likely to be women, 80-years-old and above, live in single households, and have lower incomes than the average. Currently, across OECD countries, publicly funded long-term care systems still leave almost half of older people with care needs at risk of poverty, particularly those with severe care needs and low income. Out-of-pocket costs represent, on average, 70% of an older person’s median income across the OECD. This report suggests avenues to improve funding to make long-term care systems better able to meet the demand for their services, and suggests policy options to improve the targeting of benefits and seek efficiency gains to contain the costs of long-term care.
Mexico: Government begins work to promote initiative on app workers
AméricaEconomía (14.10.2024) The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, established in her 59th commitment to promote a reform to the Federal Labor Law (LFT) to provide social security to workers through a digital platform, so the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) began meetings with workers in this sector in order to advance the content of the proposal.
The agency headed by Marath Bolaños called this week the groups of digital platform workers to a meeting to present the proposal, which should be ready this month.
“Commitments 59. This month we will submit the bill to guarantee the mandatory social security for workers who deliver telephone applications,” the president said on October 1.
Health and Long-Term Care Needs in a Context of Rapid Population Aging
worldbank.org (16.10.2024) This paper identifies key challenges in health care and long-term care as populations age and provides examples of how countries are responding to them. The paper focuses on developing countries that are aging fast, where anticipation and action are especially important. The paper highlights the need for a holistic strategy that focuses on strengthening health care and long-term care systems and achieving universal care coverage, moving from a disease-centered approach to a person-centered one. But such a strategy should not focus exclusively on the older population. To solve the challenges brought by population aging, younger populations should not be forgotten. How people age is, to a large extent, determined by their health earlier in life and the choices they made when young. The range of policies should therefore promote healthy lifestyles, like physical activity and healthy eating, throughout the entire life course. A healthy aging agenda contributes to containing the costs associated with aging populations.