November 2021

China publishes guidelines to enhance the sense of happiness and security of the aging population

In order to effectively address China's aging population, the country issued a set of guidelines on Wednesday on strengthening work on the senior population to enhance the sense of happiness and security of the elderly. According to the Seventh National Population Census, as of November 1, 2020, the elderly population aged 60 and above in China was 264.02 million, accounting for 18.7% of the total. It is estimated that during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, the elderly population in...

How will we make the most of an extra 30 years of life?

Demographers predict that as many as half of the children born in the developed world since 2000 will reach the age of 100 and beyond. Once a rare event, century-long lives will become commonplace by 2050. The near doubling of life expectancy presents a range of challenges — along with yet unrealized opportunities. To the extent that we continue to live our lives according to the norms, institutions and policies based on lives half as long as the ones we...

Aging China outlines plan to improve elderly care services

China is urging some local governments to embark on pilot programmes next year to improve medical and care services for the elderly, with the goal of rolling out the scheme nationwide in 2023. Read also India’s fertility rate falls below replacement level. What it means. Of the 31 provinces, regions and municipalities in mainland China, 15 should launch their local pilot schemes for better medical and care services for the elderly next year, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a...

UK. Retirees go back to work to cover pension shortfalls

After they were forced to shield during pandemic rather than top up their retirement income The number of Brits over the age of 70 returning to work is rising, research by financial advisory firm Salisbury House Wealth (SHW) has found. According to data by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) around 481,000 of over-70 are currently working – a 6% increase in the past year. The figure for 2020 was approximately 452,000, as older workers were asked to shield during the...

Experts Concerned About Senior Poverty in S. Korea as Aging Society Takes Speed

Experts are increasingly concerned over the issue of senior poverty caused by a lack of pension programs and other senior welfare policies as South Korea is becoming an aging society at twice the speed of Japan. The Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) conducted a survey of 500 senior respondents over 65 years of age from South Korea and Japan, which showed that fewer South Korean seniors receive pensions than their Japanese counterparts. Read also Bangladesh. Guardian Life launches “Ajibon Pension Plan”...

Tech for aging society can be Japan’s ‘advantage’: Google executive

Google Japan aims to focus on developing and offering technology that supports the country's aging society, its top executive said at a Nikkei event on Wednesday. "It is our responsibility to enable elderly people to maintain good health and access necessary information or jobs through our technology," President Shinji Okuyama said at Nikkei's Global Management Forum. Google's Japanese unit hopes to turn the challenge of aging into opportunities. This includes providing digital skill training to seniors, as well as utilizing the...

Graying China sinks pensions under critical line in more provinces

China's pension reserves have fallen below a key government threshold in a majority of provinces, as growing deficits from a rapidly aging population threaten the system's long-term viability. China has two main pension schemes that together cover 1 billion people. One is compulsory for urban employees and public servants, while the second serves other urban residents and the rural population. The urban employee pension system, the far larger of the two, received 16% less income in 2020 than the year...

October 2021

The Future of Pension Management: Integrating Design, Governance, and Investing

By Keith P. Ambachtsheer The Future of Pension Management offers a progress report from the field, using actual case studies from around the world. In the mid-70s, Peter Drucker predicted that demographic dynamics would eventually turn pensions into a major societal issue; in 2007, author Keith Ambachsheer's book Pension Revolution laid out the ways in which Drucker's predictions had come to pass. This book provides a fresh look at the situation on the ground, and details the encouraging changes that...

Greece on its Way to Becoming Fastest Aging Country in the EU

The population decline in Greece, which has been steady since 2011, will lead the country to having the oldest people in the EU by 2030. That is the conclusion of a report by Eurostat, the EU statistics agency, about the declining population in the Union. If the report’s predictions come true, Greece will take the aging lead over Italy in the EU. With half of Greeks already over 50 years old, EU Commission estimates that the country’s population will decrease...

2021 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index

By Mercer & CFA Institute The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the well-being of millions of individuals around the world. Its effects, however, are not confined to the health systems or those who contract the virus. There are broader economic effects with higher government debt and restricted economic activity in many countries. While it would be easy for governments to concentrate on these short term challenges, it would be a mistake to do so. With ageing populations,...