September 2024
18Sep

Key Elements of the Pension Reform Agreement Signed Today by Spanish Government and Unions

The keys to the pension reform agreement are being finalized today, September 18, 2024. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will join union leaders to mark this important event. The reform aims to improve retirement conditions for workers, especially those in tough jobs. Key Takeaways Pedro Sánchez to sign pension reform agreement. Early retirement options for hard professions. Partial retirement regulations improved for workers. Lower retirement age for specific job conditions. Enhanced conditions for fixed-discontinuous workers. Mútues to collaborate on temporary...

September 18, 2024
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18Sep

Why China’s decision to extend the retirement age will not address fairness and sustainability issues

For many working Chinese, particularly those born in the 1980s and 1990s, Beijing’s decision to raise the retirement age by three years brings a sense of loss and betrayal. It means they have to work longer and pay more to get less from a major social contract. An internet meme that went viral reflected Chinese millennials’ frustration over the government’s flip-flop in birth and pension policies: “When I was born they said there were too many; when I gave birth...

September 18, 2024
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18Sep

Nigerian pension assets soar 4.17% to N20.48tn in Q2’2024

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has maintained an upward growth trajectory as the contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) recorded a total asset of N20.48 trillion in the second quarter of 2024, marking a 4.17 per cent  increase from N19.66 trillion it recorded in Q1 2024. According to PenCom, the number of pension contributions increased from 89,061 in the first quarter of 2024  to 100,063 in Q2 2024. It noted that remittance of pension contributions increased by 20.26 per cent from N314.17...

September 18, 2024
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18Sep

Japan faces labor shortages and demographic crisis as elderly population hits record high

Japan commemorated its “Respect for the Aged Day” earlier this week, with the national holiday underscoring a somewhat problematic fact — the country has a record number of elderly citizens to celebrate. Government data released ahead of the event showed that Japan’s population aged 65 and over had risen to an all-time high of 36.25 million. While the country’s overall population has been declining, the segment of those aged 65 and above has grown to 29.3% of the population, the highest...

September 18, 2024
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18Sep

Dutch pension funds to report CO2 reduction progress

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. Pension funds must report annually on the progress made in achieving their CO2 reduction targets DNB imposes the additional requirements to “enable itself to adequately supervise sustainability risks at pension funds.” This is because, in its own words, the regulator currently “does not have sufficient information to adequately supervise the...

September 18, 2024
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17Sep

US. State pension funds significantly beat expected investment returns

The Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (KPPA) announced the average composite return for assets under management was 10.7% for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, while insurance trust assets under management earned 11.4%.  All pension and insurance portfolios returned significantly more than their actuarial assumed rates of return, which are 6.5% for all County Employees Retirement System (CERS) pension and insurance portfolios and the Kentucky Employees Retirement System (KERS) and State Police Retirement System (SPRS) insurance trusts, 6.25% for the KERS Hazardous...

September 17, 2024
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17Sep

Vow of austerity sets up showdown over 2025 Argentina budget

President Javier Milei of Argentina presented the 2025 budget to Congress late Sunday, outlining policy priorities that reflected his pledge to kill the country’s chronic fiscal deficit and signalled a new phase of confrontation with lawmakers. In an unprecedented move, Milei personally pitched the budget to Congress instead of his economy minister, lambasting Argentina’s history of macroeconomic mismanagement and promising to veto anything that compromised his idea of tight fiscal policy. The president’s budget proposal followed a week of political clashes...

September 17, 2024
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17Sep

Australia. Govt unveils legacy pension exit plan

The federal government has announced plans to allow people to exit legacy pensions over a five-year period by relaxing commutation restrictions and allocating reserves to SMSF members where those funds supported an income stream to that member. The proposed changes have been released for consultation and are contained within the draft Treasury Laws Amendment (Self-managed superannuation funds – legacy retirement product conversions and reserves) Regulations 2024 published today by Treasury. The explanatory statement to the regulations published by Treasury and Financial...

September 17, 2024
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17Sep

US. Optimism about Retirement Preparedness Growing

Headlines to the contrary, a recent survey found that confidence is growing among American employees concerning their ability to meet their long-term financial and retirement goals. According to the fourth annual Protected Retirement survey from the Nationwide Retirement Institute, more than 6 in 10 (65%) workers say they are on the right track when it comes to financial preparedness for retirement. This figure rises to 71% for those aged 22-34 years old, which is a 15-point increase from 2023. This improvement,...

September 17, 2024
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17Sep

Precarity trap: Gig economy failing Asia’s youth

Precarious employment among youth in the Asia-Pacific region has become an increasingly urgent issue, with a growing number of young people trapped in temporary jobs without social security or long-term contracts. According to the International Labor Organization’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2024 report, over 28% of youth in Southeast Asia and the Pacific were engaged in temporary employment that lacked financial security and social protections in 2023. This situation not only undermines the financial stability of individuals but also has...

September 17, 2024
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