March 2023

US. Could companies be persuaded to bring back pensions?

There’s a certain type of employer-sponsored retirement plan that’s the stuff of legends. They’re called traditional defined benefit pension plans, meaning employees get a fixed amount of money upon retirement, usually shouldered by the company. While they’ve since been replaced in 401(k) plans in almost every company, there’s an argument to be made that today’s tight labor market could offer companies that bring back pensions an edge in attracting talent. Marketplace senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently spoke with Marketplace’s...

Legal & General’s new report on women in the U.S. Gig Economy finds income disparity, multiple roles, worry about financial future

32% Average Pay Gap between male and female gig workers. A special International Women’s Day report in a broad new study sponsored by Legal & General Group (LGEN, LGNNY), U.S. Gig Economy Special Report: Tasked With Both Childcare and Earning, Women Fall Behind Their Male Counterparts, was released today. The report continues narrating original research on the changing U.S. workforce and the reluctance of so many to enter into traditional employment. The study looks into the diversity and differences as...

Reverse SSNIT policy that disqualifies persons aged 60 from contributing to scheme – ACRR petitions NPRA

The Africa Centre for Retirement Research (ACRR) has petitioned the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to reverse the Social Security and National Insurance Scheme (SSNIT) policy that disqualifies members aged 60 and above from contributing to the scheme. The group in a statement dated March 7 noted that if the policy is not reversed, “it will adversely and significantly affect the retirement wellbeing of over 11,000 workers and even more in the future.” This comes after SSNIT issued a policy directive...

Uganda: Digital Technologies Enable Women Take Charge of Their Retirement Prospects

International Women's Day is a good time to apply a gender lens to all aspects of life - not only to draw attention to the traditional challenges and gaps, but also to mark achievements and to spotlight the opportunities yet to be exploited. This year's theme - innovation and technology for gender equality - is an opportunity to reflect on the unexploited potential of ICTs, that could make women realise their dreams and aspire for higher goals. Access and use of...

Does your public pension fund hold risky crypto-related investments? It can take a fight to find out.

In wake of FTX collapse, many questions, fewer answers about public plans' private holdings and who is benefiting from them. Crypto exposure is 'a canary in a coal mine.' Robin Rayfield had three minutes to speak. That wasn't much time for the 66-year-old Delta, Ohio, retired educator to raise his long list of concerns about the defined-benefit pension plan he relies on for his retirement income. It was December 2022, about a month after the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and...

More than 1.2 million march in France over plan to raise pension age to 64

More than 1.2 million protesters marched in France on Tuesday as rail workers and refinery staff began rolling strikes and trade unions stepped up their campaign to try to stop Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the pension age to 64. For the sixth time since the start of the year, trade unions called a nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations. Many protest rallies attracted bigger crowds than previous ones organised since mid-January, including in Marseille, one of France’s biggest cities,...

Women on the front line everywhere!

In March 2023 women’s movements are playing a leading role in many countries around the world. This is neither new nor exceptional, but it should always be emphasized to show how women’s struggles are an integral part of the struggle to change, to revolutionize society, and that without women’s action society stops. In the year-long war caused by the atrocious invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops under Putin, Ukrainian women are participating in resistance in all its forms. Women serve...

Diverse investment teams deliver outperformance – WTW

Greater gender diversity in an investment team can add 45 basis points per year in net excess returns, an analysis by Willis Towers Watson showed. The consultant's new research paper, Diversity in the asset management industry: on the right track, but at the wrong pace, analyzed investment strategies across equities, credit and real assets, and cover global, U.S. and other regions. Using diversity data as of Dec. 31, 2021, and net performance data as of Dec. 31, 2022, WTW looked at...

UK. New figures show Gender Pension Gap remains stubbornly high

New statistics from trade union, Prospect, provide their latest estimate of the Gender Pensions Gap. They put the gap at 40.5% for 2020-21, essentially unchanged since the figure was first estimated half a decade ago. This is significantly more than the gender pay gap, and represents an average annual £7,100 shortfall. The latest figures show that despite an increased focus on the gap, current government policies are failing to provide any improvement. This has led Prospect to warn of a “ticking...

South Korea pension fund to consider climate change in management work

South Korea's national pension fund will consider climate change as part of its stewardship activities going forward, the welfare ministry said on Tuesday. A panel that oversees the National Pension Service's (NPS) fund management policies decided to add climate change, along with industrial accidents, to its list of focus areas for responsible investment activities, the ministry said in a statement. Until now, the world's third-largest public pension fund engaged with companies focusing primarily on matters related to corporate governance, such as...