November 2020

UK. Millions face cut in value of workplace pensions

Millions of retirees will see the future value of their pension cut owing to a planned change in the way payments are calculated from 2030. Many of those with so-called defined benefit workplace pensions see their pension payments increase each year in line with the rising cost of living. Read also U.K. clarifies timeline for reform of inflation measure The way this annual rise is calculated is expected to become less generous from February 2030. Chancellor Rishi Sunak ruled out...

Switzerland. Government hopes for ‘first successful pension reforms’ of the century

In summer 2019 the social partners agreed on a reform of the Swiss occupational pension scheme. The government on Wednesday adopted this compromise unchanged; the ball is now in parliament’s court. Occupational pensions have been under pressure for a while as a result of rising life expectancy and low interest rates. Following the rejection by voters of the pension reform in September 2017, the government tried again, focusing on the second pillar (based on occupational pension plans and accident...

Swedish pension giant and LGIM launch sustainable EM equity fund

Swedish pension fund AP1 and LGIM have collaborated to launch a new EM equity fund. The L&G Emerging Market Equity Future Core fund will link the allocation of capital to clear sustainability requirements for companies it will invest in. The rationale behind the launch is to meet institutional investors’ need for index-linked funds with an extended sustainability profile. According to AP1, the need for this kind of product has increased as more investors choose passive or index-linked management models....

Saving pensions and COVID-19

Robust pension policies are crucial for safeguarding political and social stability in a rapidly ageing and changing world, Odusote Fatimah Abolanle and Alfred Muluan Wu write. With the COVID-19 pandemic grinding almost every sector of the global economy to a standstill, many governments have had to reform policy to buffer the health and economic shocks their citizens are going through, including pensions and social security. This unprecedented paradigm shift has exposed existing gaps in pension policies. Although some principles...

Malaysia is ageing, raise retirement age to 65 gradually, says World Bank

Rapid ageing will be one of the most crucial megatrends affecting Malaysia in the coming decades, raising policy challenges in areas such as employment, income security, health care, and aged care, the World Bank has said. In its report titled “A Silver Lining: Productive and Inclusive Ageing for Malaysia”, it said a gradual increase of the retirement age to 65 was needed as the country’s institutional framework for providing income security for older persons remained largely unchanged in...

US. Effect of the Biden Administration on Health and Retirement Benefits

What president- elect Joe Biden´s administration will be able to get done regarding health care and retirement policy will depend much on the political tone in Congress. Control of the Senate is hinging on two Georgia runoff elections in January, notes Geoff Manville, partner and government relations leader in Mercer’s Law and Policy Group. He says most observers believe Democrats will lose one of those races, which would give Republicans Senate control. “That would make it all but impossible...

UK Fintech launches a self managed pension product

The UK-based commission-free trading app has launched a waitlist for its Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) product, which will cost £9.99 ($12.75) a month for basic users, or £7 ($8.93) a month for Plus members, per AltFi. Users can start investing with £2 ($2.55) and will also get a free company share ranging from £40 ($51) to over £2,000 ($2,553) in value depending on the size of their portfolio. Unlike standard personal pension schemes, where funds are managed on...

La protección social de los trabajadores migrantes mexicanos

Por Gabriela Mendizábal Bermúdez Esta obra es una compilación de seis estudios sobre las condiciones de vida y trabajo de productores agrícolas y jornaleros migrantes en regiones de Morelos, así como su influencia en el sureste del estado de México. Con base en estudios de caso, se pretende contribuir a la difusión de datos actualizados sobre las articulaciones de la producción agrícola en Morelos y sus mercados de trabajo, considerando la importancia de la migración estacional desde comunidades indígenas...

Los sistemas de pensiones y salud en América Latina. Los desafíos del envejecimiento, el cambio tecnológico y la informalidad

Por CAF Los Estados modernos destinan una cantidad significativa de su presupuesto a financiar un sistema de transferencias que busca proteger a las personas de determinados riesgos, y a la vez, promover la inclusión y la igualdad. Este sistema de protección social constituye un instrumento indispensable para promover el bienestar de la ciudadanía y el desarrollo económico y social, más aún en países con grandes desigualdades como los de América Latina. Eventos adversos con fuerte impacto, como la pandemia...

Calidad de vida y competencias de empleabilidad en personas trabajadoras en centros especiales de empleo

Por Cristina Laborda Molla, Mercè Jariot García, Henar González Fernández Este artículo profundiza en la relación entre competencias de empleabilidad (CE) y calidad de vida (CV) en personas con discapacidad intelectual leve y moderada que trabajan en un centro especial de empleo (CEE), como elemento determinante en su nivel de inclusión socio-comunitaria. La información se recogió mediante un cuestionario de competencias de empleabilidad de elaboración propia, así como a través de la escala de calidad de vida de Schalock...