February 2024

Urgent Action Needed Amidst U.S. State Pension Debt Crisis

By Howie Jones   The United States is grappling with a severe state pension debt crisis, with a whopping $1.49 trillion in unfunded obligations causing significant economic strain. Areas like San Jose are particularly affected, facing a staggering unpaid debt of $3.5 billion, potentially leading to a tax burden of around $3,600 per resident. This crisis could drastically impact the public sector, potentially decreasing the quality and availability of public services. San Jose’s Odd Fellows society recently held a community improvement forum...

Does aging society mean economic slowdown in China?

As China is busy preparing for the annual two sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), some Western media have been enthusiastically hyping that the Chinese economy is collapsing. Is the Chinese economy going to fail? What opportunities have China's growth brought to the world? China Economy from a Global Perspective is a 10-part series analyzing the above questions. The fifth essay focuses on China's population growth. Wang Dan is chief...

Ireland. The Two Main Reasons People Don’t Have A Pension

More than two-thirds of workers have some form of pension coverage outside of the State pension, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has said. Of the 68% of workers aged 20-69 with additional pension coverage, 70% have an occupational pension, 10% have a personal pension and 20% have both, including 22% of men and 19% of women. For employees with occupational pensions from their current employment, the number with 'defined benefit' pensions decreased in 2023 from 32% to 30% while the number with 'defined...

Uganda Parliament Pensions Scheme to Reduce Equity Investments in Kenya

By Kenyan WallStreet   Uganda’s Parliamentary Pensions Scheme (PPS) is considering reducing its investments in Kenya due to macroeconomic challenges. The scheme’s total equity assets stand at UShs. 24 billion, out of which two percent is in Kenya. In its most recent financials, the scheme reported a gross investment income UShs. 55 billion and total assets of 425 billion. The growth in total assets marked a significant growth from UShs. 349 billion in 2021/2022 to Shs. 425billion in 2022/2023. “We…propose to reduce...

Mexico. Reforma de AMLO a pensiones: implicaciones para trabajadores y empleadores

El 5 de febrero el titular del Ejecutivo propuso una nueva reforma al sistema de pensiones en el país. Dicha iniciativa de reforma a la Constitución en esta materia pretende la entrega del último salario obtenido por trabajadoras y trabajadores incorporados al Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) y del Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado (ISSSTE), hasta por un monto equivalente al salario promedio registrado en el IMSS. Es de señalarse que dicha reforma...

Chile. Cadem: Pensiones, viviendas y seguridad entre las reformas “más prioritarias” según encuestados

Meganoticias adelanta en exclusiva los resultados de la encuesta Plaza Pública de Cadem de este domingo 25 de febrero, la que abordó, entre sus puntos, las reformas prioritarias del actual gobierno Reformas prioritarias Ante la pregunta: “¿Cuál de las siguientes reformas del Presidente Boric considera más prioritaria?”, las tres reformas más mencionadas fueron: Reforma de pensiones (44%) Construir 260 mil viviendas (39%) Agenda de seguridad (30%) Presidente Gabriel Boric Aprobación Presidencial Preguntados por: “Independiente de su posición política, ¿Usted aprueba o desaprueba la forma como Gabriel Boric está conduciendo su Gobierno?”,...

Investors trying to change the world: Why climate investing is so difficult

Responsible asset owners are preparing their portfolios for the climate transition, reducing holdings in companies with high emissions and pledging billions to climate investments. But climate proofing portfolios is proving one of the most arduous and complex challenges investors have ever faced. Like concerns that many of the underlying companies in their portfolios haven’t meaningfully reduced their emissions; or the fact investors know they need to continue to provide capital to hard to abate sectors yet the financial rewards for...

Global pension assets recover to pass US$55trn

Global pension assets rose by 11 per cent on aggregate to US$55.7bn in 2023, according to the Thinking Ahead Institute’s (TAI) latest Global Pension Assets Study. Its previous 2022 study measured the largest annual fall in global pension assets since the global financial crisis following a decade of uninterrupted growth. At the end of 2022, global pension assets stood at US$50.2trn. The UK overtook Canada to become the third largest pension market by total assets, which stood at US$3.2trn at the end of 2023. The...

World Bank Urges Malaysia to Mandate Retirement Savings for Digital Platform Workers

In a world where the gig economy is not just an option but a necessity for many, the World Bank has cast a spotlight on Malaysia, urging the government to adopt a pioneering approach to safeguard its informal workers.At the heart of this recommendation is a call for mandatory contributions to retirement savings for those earning through digital platforms. This suggestion comes at a critical juncture, as the gig economy's productivity in Malaysia soared to RM1.33 billion in the third...

México. PAN acompañaría reforma a las pensiones bajo ciertas condiciones

Entre los requisitos que pone la bancada del partido opositor está la de quitar el tope salarial de 16,777 pesos al mes y aclarar de dónde se van a obtener los recursos para financiar la propuesta. La bancada del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) en la Cámara de Diputados acompañaría la iniciativa de reforma constitucional a las pensiones si se quita el tope salarial de 16,777 pesos al mes y se aclara de dónde van a salir los recursos para financiarla. Así...