October 2021
21Oct

Canada. Uber drivers, gig workers pressure Ontario government for employee status

Tens of thousands of people in the province drive and deliver for apps such as Lyft, DoorDash People who drive and deliver for apps such as Uber and DoorDash are calling on the Ontario government to grant them the rights of employees. The province's minister of labour says new protections for gig workers are coming and says it's wrong for app-based workers to earn less than minimum wage. Industry sources tell CBC News they expect the Ford government will soon reveal...

October 21, 2021
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21Oct

Ghana. NPRA to target informal sector as it holds Pensions Week in Western Region

Mr Stanley Ogoe, Western Regional Director of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has hinted that the Authority is taking steps to enlighten the informal sector workers on the benefits of having a retirement plan and becoming members of pension schemes to enable them to start their retirement plans early. He noted that workers in the informal sector so far, have shown the least interest in the 3-tier pension scheme and for that matter the NPRA was therefore encouraging workers...

October 21, 2021
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19Oct

India’s pension system needs impetus to ensure adequate retirement income: study

India needs to undertake strategic reforms to revamp the pension system so as to ensure adequate retirement income, revealed the 2021 Mercer CFA Global Pension Index survey (MCGPI) released on Tuesday. The Indian pension system ranked 40th on the overall index ranking out of 43 systems and had the lowest rank in the adequacy sub-index. The primary objective of this annual survey by Mercer Consulting, a leading global management consulting firm, is to benchmark each retirement income system using more...

October 19, 2021
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15Oct

China to encourage development of pensions, insurance for delivery sector

China's top banking and insurance regulator said it would encourage insurers to accelerate the development of commercial pension products and accident insurance for gig-economy workers such as couriers and takeout deliverymen. Read also Hong Kong government proposal for residents to convert pensions into annuities ‘absurd’ if made mandatory, labour minister says China has in recent years experienced a delivery boom powered by millions of couriers who work for companies such as Meituan Dianping and Alibaba’s Ele.me to deliver packages and meal...

October 15, 2021
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07Oct

Temporal Reframing of Recurring Savings Reduces Perceived Pain and Helps Those with Lower Financial Literacy to Save

By Stephen Shu Steve Thomas & David A. Smith While assessments of the Gig Economy vary in terms of size, growth, and heterogeneity, most studies suggest that this segment of the economy is sizeable, growing, and diverse in terms of types of work. Some concerns in the literature include both the present and future welfare of workers in the Gig Economy. More granular, temporal reframing of savings (e.g., save $5 a day versus $150 a month) has been shown to...

October 7, 2021
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September 2021
27Sep

Ghana. Cocoa farmers pension scheme takes off October 2021

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has announced that the much-anticipated cocoa farmers pension scheme will start in October 2021 for cocoa farmers in Ghana. He said that the scheme, once fully operational, would help farmers enjoy a decent retirement benefit after years of active farming, adding, “This adds to the several fantastic strides this government hopes to leave behind.” Mr Boahen Aidoo made this announcement at the signing ceremony of a $1.5 billion...

September 27, 2021
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21Sep

Singapore- Ministry of Manpower Sets up Advisory Committee to Protect GIG Economy Workers

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced the formation of the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers. The Committee aims to strengthen protections for self-employed persons who work for online platforms, specifically delivery persons, private-hire car drivers, and taxi drivers. Read also Uber to pay pensions to all its UK drivers, backdated to 2017 At its first meeting last week, the Advisory Committee noted the lack of basic job protections due to the nature of platform work, and decided on three priority areas to...

September 21, 2021
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10Sep

Nigeria is struggling to get informal workers to save

Between a slumping economy and gnawing inflation, Nigerians are finding life tough. Temilola Balogun, who owns a clothing shop in Lagos, the commercial capital, sighs that it is hard to save anything. This is typical: most adults in Africa’s most populous country do not pay into a pension. Few will be able to retire without being supported by their children. Read also Nigerian pension fund asset rises to N12.8 trillion as RSA contributors hits 9.4 million To change this, in 2019...

September 10, 2021
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08Sep

India. PFRDA proposes changes in premature exit rules for Atal Pension Yojana, facilitates timely payment of money

By Navneet Dubey To increase acceptability of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) scheme among informal sector workers, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has proposed modifications in premature exit processing for the benefit of subscribers. APY is a social security scheme administered by PFRDA through banks and the department of post. The scheme offers guaranteed pension benefits to eligible citizens after reaching the age of 60 years, who subscribe and contribute to the scheme. According to a PFRDA circular issued on...

September 8, 2021
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03Sep

World Social Protection Report 2020–22

By ILO Despite progress in recent years in extending social protection in many parts of the world, when the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic hit many countries were still facing significant challenges in making the human right to social security a reality for all. This report provides a global overview of progress made around the world over the past decade in extending social protection and building rights-based social protection systems, including floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In...

September 3, 2021
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