April 2020

07Apr

Social protection responses to the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa

Poor and vulnerable South Africans, including domestic, farm, service sector, and self-employed workers as well as children from poor families, face a double shock. COVID-19 is a major health risk that has already claimed tens of thousands of lives worldwide and is starting to claim lives in South Africa. Social distancing and self-isolation are necessary to slow the spread of the virus, and the 21-day lockdown is designed to “flatten the curve”. But the lockdown itself has consequences that...

April 7, 2020
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07Apr

Irish Demand for Social Benefits Soars as Coronavirus Bites

The number of people in Ireland dependent on social welfare income support amidst the coronavirus outbreak has soared to more than 700,000 based on numbers released on Monday by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. On April 3, 507,000 people were paid the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Support payment, which is a weekly stipend of 350 euros ($377.93) for those who have lost jobs or had hours cut due to coronavirus disruption. That was in addition to 207,000...

April 7, 2020
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01Apr

Kenya’s retirement benefits eroded by coronavirus

Pension managers in Kenya project depressed growth of retirees’ funds due to the coronavirus pandemic that has negatively impacted the financial markets. About 17.5 per cent of retirees’ money was invested in quoted securities at the Nairobi Securities Exchange as at December 2019. This amounted to $2.1 billion, up from $1.8 billion in 2018. In its 2019 industry report, the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) said: “The growth in the retirement benefits sector is projected to drop in the...

April 1, 2020
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01Apr

India. Migrant Workers Need Social Protection To Overcome COVID-19 Lockdown Trauma: Health Ministry

The Health Ministry today called for providing a social protection to migrant workers, saying they are prone to social, psychological and emotional trauma in lockdown situations. Immediate concerns faced by such migrant workers relate to food, shelter, healthcare, fear of getting infected or spreading the infection, loss of wages, concerns about the family, anxiety and fear. "Sometimes, they also face harassment and negative reactions of the local community. All this calls for strong social protection," the ministry said in...

April 1, 2020
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March 2020

26Mar

Europe. Social protection pays off

If the COVID-19 pandemic has sent the world one message, it is that we are only as safe as the most vulnerable among us. Those who are unable to quarantine themselves or to get treatment endanger their own lives and the lives of others, and if one country cannot contain the virus, others are bound to be infected, or even re-infected. And yet, around the world, social-protection systems are failing miserably at safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable...

March 26, 2020
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23Mar

COVID-19 puts burden on gig economy workers. But can they deliver without social protection?

The coronavirus outbreak has caused life across the world to stutter to a halt and the barricades are now quickly going up. Borders are being shut down and people are increasingly seeking to isolate themselves as restricting social contact has been touted by the scientific community as the one measure that may work to decelerate the pace of the virus’ spread. However, in order for most of society to survive the isolation comfortably, we shall find ourselves increasingly dependent...

March 23, 2020
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20Mar

Australia. Social protection and viral recession

So far, Australia’s help for people displaced, self-isolating or ill has been far from generous. If the Australian Financial Review is right, the federal government is considering a new transitional income support payment for workers who lose their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis. Read also Australia. Veteran pensions set to increase The temporary payment, a central feature of a package that will be “more about survival than stimulus,” will be set at a higher rate than Newstart. Applicants won’t...

March 20, 2020
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19Mar

UK. Future renting pensioners could struggle in retirement

By Sophie Smith An increase in renting could see future pensioners struggle to achieve an adequate standard of living, as the number of pensioners renting looks set to double by 2046, the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) has warned. The PPI published its research paper, To Buy or not to Buy: the Changing Landscape of Housing in Retirement, in conjunction with Scottish Widows, exploring the implications of the changing housing market on future retirement needs. Based on current trends, the report...

March 19, 2020
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12Mar

Australia. Billions of dollars pumped into coronavirus-hit economy in bid to stave off recession, Scott Morrison announces

The Federal Government has announced a $17.6 billion economic stimulus package in a bid to keep Australians in jobs as the economy takes a hit from the spread of coronavirus. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package would provide an immediate stimulus to the economy amid fears Australia could slip into a recession. The package includes tax relief for small businesses, one-off cash payments for welfare recipients and money to help keep apprentices in work. More than 6 million welfare...

March 12, 2020
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04Mar

Uganda. World Bank update, a reminder of our development strategy

For the first time, Uganda’s major external funding partner, the World Bank, in its 14th Uganda Economic Update, emphasised Social Protection programmes as an important policy tool for building resilience, mitigating risks and supporting households to invest in human capital development. Uganda has continuously prioritised investment in physical infrastructure over the years and indeed, the proposed budget for the financial year 2020/21 has works and transport taking up the biggest share of the resource envelope at 19.7% up from...

March 4, 2020
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