September 2026

Will Europe dismantle the welfare state? Pension cuts and healthcare collapse threat looms

The economic decline of the once-mighty West is becoming so obvious that even leading economists are starting to acknowledge that the Western economic model faces severe structural problems. For decades, Western media presented the economies of the US and Europe as benchmarks of growth and prosperity, backed by robust markets, high returns, and a generous welfare state capable of funding pensions, healthcare, and social benefits. Today, however, the picture has shifted dramatically. Those same media outlets now admit that...

August 2026

The Effect of Regularization Policies for Migrants on the Labor Market

By Puren Demirel This study reviews the labor-market effects of policies aimed at regularizing irregular migrants, with particular emphasis on amnesty programs and access to legal employment. Drawing on the existing literature and country experiences, it examines the mechanisms through which regularization may affect migrants, local workers, employers, and the broader economy. The analysis highlights that the effects of regularization depend strongly on host-country characteristics, including the size of the informal economy, labor-market structure, welfare arrangements, inspection capacity, and geographical...

U.S. Social Security funding crisis sharpens as insolvency risk nears

As reported by Financial Times, the U.S. social security system is approaching a critical funding point as lawmakers weigh politically difficult changes to avoid automatic benefit cuts. The article says a bipartisan path remains possible, with proposals centred on higher revenue, lower payouts and changes to investment strategy. One option is to raise or remove the payroll tax cap, under which income above $184,500 is exempt from social security tax. Support for lifting the cap exists across party lines in...

July 2026

Population Aging Is Here. Immigration Can Offer Half an Answer.

Population aging has become a defining challenge of our time and is galloping ahead faster than predicted. In China, births have now fallen to levels not seen since 1949. But many countries are getting old before they grow rich: Comparable declines are being seen in Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa. A shrinking workforce means less money to go around and increasing difficulties shouldering the costs of covering health care and pensions for retirees. In many fast-aging, wealthier...

US. Only 14% of Gen X Has a Pension. For a 53-Year-Old Riding an AI-Heavy S&P 500, Social Security Is the Only Floor Left.

Only 14% of Gen X has a pension, and roughly 40 to 50% of the S&P 500 is tied to AI-themed stocks, leaving Social Security as the only guaranteed income floor. Delaying Social Security from 62 to 70 raises a monthly benefit from roughly $1,680 to $2,976, and that inflation-adjusted gap compounds across a 25-year retirement. The Social Security trust fund is projected to exhaust reserves in 2032, potentially cutting payouts to 78% of scheduled benefits right as...

China targets stable employment, enhanced social security in next five years

China aims to create a considerable scale of urban jobs and keep the urban surveyed unemployment rate within 5.5 percent over the next five years, according to a human resources and social security development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) unveiled on Thursday. The plan, released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, sets seven major goals and 18 quantified indicators. "Employment will be kept generally stable, with new progress in high-quality and sufficient employment," said...

June 2026

Thailand pilots strategic compliance planning to strengthen protection for domestic workers

Labour inspection in private homes presents unique challenges. Unlike a factory or a construction site, domestic workers are dispersed across thousands of households, worker locations may not be readily available, and access may be restricted in private residences. For the roughly 125,000 registered migrant domestic workers in Thailand, largely women from Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar, and many more in irregular status — these barriers can leave them vulnerable and difficult to reach through conventional labour inspection methods. That...

May 2026

Spain. Pension spending marks a new high of 14,366 million in May, 6.1% more year-on-year

Social Security has allocated in this month of May a historic disbursement of 14,365.8 million euros to pay the ordinary payroll of contributory pensions, which represents an increase of 6.1% compared to the same period in 2025, as communicated this Tuesday by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations. This payroll incorporates the revaluation of pensions approved by the Government for 2026. In general, the increase applied is 2.7%, in line with the average CPI recorded between December 2024...

ISSA Annual review 2025: Social security for a world in transition

By ISSA The International Social Security Association (ISSA) has launched its Annual review 2025, showcasing a year of strong achievements, innovation and global collaboration in social security. The Annual Review, titled Social security for a world in transition, highlights how the ISSA has supported its members in responding to profound demographic, economic and technological changes shaping societies worldwide. A dynamic year for the global ISSA community The review presents 2025 as an impactful year for the ISSA, marked by high levels of engagement, new...

April 2026

Communicating for action: Rewriting the social security engagement

By ISSA Social security institutions are shifting from traditional outreach into establishing leveraging communication tools and approaches that drives action from individuals. Through multi-pronged strategies they are engaging with individuals and creating meaningful connections that empower people to understand their rights, navigate services confidently, build trust and actively engage with social protection systems. Empowering individuals to know about and claim social security benefits and services is as much a delivery challenge as it is a communication one. People may have limited...