February 2023
15Feb

Around the World, New Solutions to Fight Poverty in Aging

In Mexico, they’re teaching Indigenous artisans how to sell their textiles and crafts online. In Ethiopia and Colombia, they’re experimenting with new ways to provide health care services to residents in rural communities. In Bangladesh and Ecuador, they’re using targeted cash transfers to help older widows and others avoid poverty when they are unable to earn income. Around the globe, governments and other policymakers are exploring solutions to prevent older adults from living in poverty or otherwise being shut out...

February 15, 2023
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14Feb

US. Are Pensions the Answer to the Public-Sector Worker Shortage?

It’s widely known that state and local governments are struggling to recruit and retain workers. In Maryland, there are about 6,000 job postings available. And in Wayne County, Michigan, another approximately 1,000 jobs are available. These mounting vacancies can threaten the continuity of vital public services in public safety, education and transportation.   But as the number of layoff announcements in the private sector increase and a record number of Americans withdraw funds from their 401(k)s as a result of financial...

February 14, 2023
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14Feb

South Korea. Busan turns to attracting crypto to tackle its ageing population

A catastrophic period for cryptocurrency is not stopping South Korea’s second-largest city from betting that digital money will solve a major problem: having one of the greyest populations in one of the world’s fastest-ageing nations. Busan, a port on the south-eastern coast of the Korean peninsula, is seeking to become a global cryptocurrency hub because its planners believe that embracing virtual tokens will bring more young people to its streets. It is setting up a publicly run exchange for digital...

February 14, 2023
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13Feb

China. Legislative steps being taken to protect elderly

China's legislature has accelerated the creation of legislation aimed at the elderly over the past few years in a bid to bolster protection and respond to a rapidly aging population. The latest National Bureau of Statistics data showed that by the end of last year, China's population aged 60 and above exceeded 280 million, making up 19.8 percent of the national total. The National Health Commission estimates that this figure will grow to over 400 million by 2035, accounting for more...

February 13, 2023
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13Feb

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis leaves elderly homeless and penniless

When Kiri Banda retired from his job as a cook in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, he hoped for a peaceful old age living with his son. But with his medical bills straining household finances last year, he decided it was time to move out. “I didn’t want to be a burden,” says Banda, who spends his days begging or searching for food and sleeps on a bench in a public park. It is an increasingly common sight since Sri Lanka...

February 13, 2023
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09Feb

The number of older Americans is growing, and many states are unprepared

States with a master plan can more readily make sure diverse programs and agencies coordinate to keep the needs of aging adults at the forefront. New York is the latest state to authorize creation of a Master Plan for Aging, starting the process of developing systems to help older adults lead independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their own homes and communities as long as possible.   While several other states also have developed or are developing similar long-term proposals, which typically...

February 9, 2023
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08Feb

China to offer free fertility treatment in bid to boost record low birth rate

China is planning to offer free fertility treatment to citizens under its national insurance scheme in a bid to reverse its plummeting birth rate. The National Healthcare Security Administration said on Friday it would extend its coverage to help shoulder the costs for families trying to conceive. It said the new coverage would include assisted reproductive technology (ART) techniques and also cover labor analgesia to ease pain in childbirth. The most commonly performed ART procedure is in vitro fertilization (IVF). The administration...

February 8, 2023
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January 2023
27Jan

South Korea pension fund will deplete faster than expected, report says

South Korea's huge national pension fund is set to see its pool of money depleted by 2055, earlier than expected, because of a shrinking population amid low economic growth, an official estimate showed on Friday. A government panel commissioned for the estimate, made every five years, said in a report that the National Pension Service (NPS) would see its fund depleted two years earlier than 2018 estimate predicted. The NPS had 915 trillion won ($743.13 billion) of funds as of the...

January 27, 2023
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27Jan

Migration could prevent a looming population crisis. But there are catches

To developmental economist Lant Pritchett, "population decline" is a mild way to describe what could be a global demographic crisis. "The reaction is often 'ho-hum' as the rates [of population decline] are slow and hence the issue seems small and in the future," he told NPR in an email. But the problem is not small, he said, and falling birth rates could upend economies. Last week, China reported population decline for the first time in more than 60 years, raising questions about...

January 27, 2023
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26Jan

World Migration Report 2022

By: IOM Since 2000, IOM has been producing its flagship world migration reports every two years. The World Migration Report 2022, the eleventh in the world migration report series, has been produced to contribute to increased understanding of migration and mobility throughout the world. This new edition presents key data and information on migration as well as thematic chapters on highly topical migration issues, and is structured to focus on two key contributions for readers: Part I: key information on migration...

January 26, 2023
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