October 2023

The silver lining in India’s imminent ageing problem

India’s youthful population is often described as a key strength of the economy. India is among the youngest emerging market nations, and will remain so in the near future—a demographic dividend that makes it an attractive investment destination. According to the United Nations, a country is considered to be “ageing" if the share of the population over the age of 65 is more than 7%, “aged" when the share exceeds 14%, and “super-aged" when it crosses 20%. India will...

Twenty arrested in Hong Kong over false document pension withdrawals amid row over UK passport

 Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said on Friday 20 people had been arrested suspected of taking bribes to help people apply for early withdrawal of government pension funds with false documents, amid a row over new passports offered by Britain. Hong Kong pension funds have been in the spotlight since the emigration of more than 140,000 Hong Kong people to Britain after 2020 when China imposed a national security law on the former British colony, cracking down on dissent. Many of these...

US auto union strike: Carmakers say they cannot afford UAW demands

The United Auto Workers’ historic standoff with Detroit’s three carmaking giants is centered on an age-old tension: The union says corporate greed is keeping workers from earning fair wages, while Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV say they can’t afford union demands. While both arguments have some merit, one fact stands out: The 10 individuals who’ve served as chief executive officers of the companies since 2010 have collected more than $1 billion of compensation. Meanwhile, wages of...

Ghana. Total membership of SSNIT Scheme is 1.8 million — Minister

As of March 2023, the total membership of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Scheme was estimated at 1.8 million, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, has disclosed. This, he said means that about 8.1 million of the estimated Ghana’s working population of 9.9 million might not have any form of social security cover, which shows that leveraging digitalisation to extend social security coverage was long overdue. “The overwhelming importance of digitalisation today...

To counter its aging population, Vermont offers $5,000 for recent graduates to stay on

Vermont has joined the growing list of states hoping to retain young people by paying their student loans. The program, launched this year, will give recent graduates of Vermont colleges up to $5,000 if they stay and work in the state for two years. Lawmakers hope the initiative will keep more young people in Vermont. From The Hechinger Report in Vermont Public, Liam Elder-Connors reports. LIAM ELDER-CONNORS, BYLINE: A couple of months ago, Mohamud Diini was ready to leave Vermont....

As the U.S. birth rate falls, immigration reform may be ‘the answer hiding in plain sight,’ analyst says

As the U.S. fertility rate continues to fall, there are growing concerns about the long-term economic impact: A smaller population means less tax revenue, which could reduce funding for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. But immigration policy reform could be one solution, some experts say. The U.S. birth rate fell slightly in 2022 compared with 2021, with roughly 3.7 million babies born nationwide, and the birth rate still hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to an initial analysis from the Centers for Disease Control...

UK. Govt urged to using ‘more timely’ data for state pension triple lock

The government should consider using more timely inflation and earnings growth data as part of long-term plans for the state pension triple lock, Aegon has said. The September inflation figure that could be used for the state pension increase in April will be announced next week (18 October), although it is expected to be below the 8.5 per cent earnings growth figure for May-July, which was published in August. While Aegon acknowledged that state pension rises need to be confirmed early...

Large parts of Asia are getting old before they get rich

A bulge in a country’s working-age population is a blessing. Lots of workers support relatively few children and retired people. So long as the labour market can absorb a surge of job-seekers, output per head will rise. That can boost savings and investment, leading to higher economic growth, more productivity gains and developmental lift-off. Yet for countries that fail to seize this opportunity, the results can be grim—as many developing countries may soon discover. Consider Thailand. It is rapidly greying....

U.S. Public Pension Funds Show Moderate Improvement in Q3

Today, Equable Institute released a mid-year update to its State of Pensions 2023 report. The analysis finds the aggregate funded ratio for U.S. state and local retirement systems are on track to improve from 75.0% in 2022 to 78.8% in 2023, based on data available through September 30th, 2023. Equable Institute estimates that unfunded liabilities will total $1.39 trillion for the 2023 fiscal year, compared to $1.59 trillion at the end of 2022. As more data becomes available about fiscal year 2023,...

Nigeria. Informal sector workers demand social protection

The Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria has canvassed for social protection for informal workers, noting that over 90 per cent of Nigerians are engaged in the sector. The call was made by delegates at the 2nd Delegates Conference of the Federation of Informal Workers’ Organisations of Nigeria held recently in Lagos. The union argued that government policies have led to the collapse of many industries in the formal sector over the years. This has led to rapid expansion of the...