ilo.org 2019 - This report provides a comparative analysis of job quality covering approximately 1.2 billion of the world’s workers in the EU28, China, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, the United States (US), Spanish-speaking Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

 The Rio Times (05.05.2019) The Ministry of Economy has confirmed Friday (3rd) that it is studying a decree to regulate the requirement for the registration of drivers of “Apps” at the National Institute of Social Security (INSS).

This paper addresses five disruptive technologies that are driving massive economic transformation and that will be critical areas for public policy formulation and implementation in the region in the years ahead: cloud computing, blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence and the internet of things.

Reuters (06.03.2019) - Italy’s flagship welfare reform kicked off in busy but orderly fashion on Wednesday as thousands of poor and unemployed people applied in post offices and tax assistance centers for the “citizens’ income” scheme.

World Economic Forum (27.03.2019) Three years ago, it was hard to avoid all the Universal Basic Income (UBI) trials. First Finland announced that it would launch a UBI experiment, then Switzerland voted on (but rejected) a UBI trial. Next Ontario, Canada announced it was getting in on the game, followed by proposed experiments in Utrecht, Barcelona, California, and Kenya.

InfoMigrants (29.04.2019) Austria’s far-right government has pegged social benefits to German language skills and family size. While the government defended the reform, the cuts were met with criticism by opposition parties and UNHCR.

OECD  - The advent of the direct acting anti-virals (DAAs) for hepatitis C, the increasing use of high cost biologics, and the escalating launch prices of oncology medicines in particular, have raised concerns that pharmaceutical expenditure growth could become increasingly difficult to sustain. In order to ensure adequate resource mobilisation, and to manage the entry of major new therapies, many countries see value in trying to anticipate changes in market dynamics and by doing so, to attempt to forecast future pharmaceutical expenditure.

BusinessWorld (02.05.2019) THhe Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it operations in the Philippines between 2020 and 2022 will focus on social assistance, education and flood control among others. In a statement Tuesday, the bank said it is preparing its 2020-2022 Philippines Country Operations Business Plan, with initiatives including the Expanded Social Assistance project, the Facilitating Youth School-to-Work program and the Workplace Skills Funding pilot project.

Diario El Heraldo (02.05.2019) El ingreso anual per cápita del hondureño es de $2,500. Por su PIB, Honduras es el tercer país más pobre de América Latina . Consecuentemente, las escalas salariales, exceptuando las percibidas por la alta jerarquía burocrática, están entre las más bajas de Centroamérica.

bloomberg.com (04.04.2019) Unemployed people derive significant psychological benefits from receiving a fixed amount of financial support from the state, according to a landmark experiment into basic income in Finland that highlights the disadvantages of the country’s existing means-tested system.

OECD (29.04.2019) Employment is rising in OECD countries but most jobs continue to be created in relatively low-productivity, low-wage activities, says a new OECD report

EurActiv (19.04.2019) Deep divisions among MEPs made it clear on Thursday (19 April) that the social security coordination directive, aimed at enforcing the rights of mobile workers, would be postponed for the next European Parliament, after May’s EU elections.

Background The OECD countries have recently promoted policies of deinstitutionalisation and community-based carefor the elderly. These policies respond to common cost pressures associated with population aging, and the challenge ofproviding improved care for the elderly. They aim to substitute less costly services for institutional ones, to improve patientsatisfaction and decrease expenses. However, views concerning their success are mixed. We took a comparative cross-national approach to examine the evidence, to identify common features of an effective system of integrated care, and toexamine the potential of such models to positively affect care of the elderly, and public ®nances.Methods We conducted a systematic review of recent demonstration projects testing innovative models of care for theelderly in OECD countries. Projects included aimed to create comprehensive integration of acute and long-term care ser-vices, and were evaluated using a comparison group.Results For each project, we report available results on rates of hospitalisation, long term care institutionalisation, utilisa-tion and costs, impact on process of care, and health outcomes. In addition, the following common features of an effectiveintegrated system of care were identi®ed: a single entry point system; case management, geriatric assessment and a multi-disciplinary team; and use of ®nancial incentives to promote downward substitution.Conclusions Community-based care can impact favourably on rates of institutionalisation and costs. Comprehensiveapproaches to program restructuring are necessary, as cost-effectiveness depends on characteristics of the system of care.Expansion of successful programmes to achieve widespread use remains a critical challenge. Copyright # 2003 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd.key words Ð integrated care; community care; balance of care; demonstration programme

Digital Inclusion means empowering people through information and communication technologies (ICTs).  The Digital Inclusion activities of the BDT are designed to promote ICT accessibility and use for the social and economic development of people with sp​ecific needs, including indigenous peoples and people living in rural areas; persons with disabilities; women and girls; and youth and children.  ​Our work includes sharing information and raising awareness on policies, legislation, regulations and business practices that promote digital inclusion, including through this website, the Girls in ICT Portal​, the ​​Model ICT Accessibility Policy Report, the​ report "Digital opportunities: Innovative ICT solutions for youth employment", ​​the report "Coding bootcamps: a strategy for youth employment"​​​​​, ​the Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship Resources Database, our blog​, publications and awareness-raising events.  This work takes a holistic approach, recognizing that activities for one group also positively impact the other groups.​​​​​​​​​​

This paper discusses theoretical and practical issues related to long-term care (LTC) services in Latin America. Demand for these services will rise as the region undergoes a swift demographic transition from its currently young population to a rapidly aging one, especially since the region’s aging cohorts are more prone to experience a decline in their functional and physical abilities than elderly people elsewhere in the world. We argue that private insurance markets are ill-equipped to provide coverage to meet the need for LTC, while the amount of personal savings required to afford self-insurance is prohibitively high. We study how developed economies have dealt with the issue of LTC and pay special attention to the most salient features of their LTC programs. We then direct the discussion to Latin America, where LTC may not be an immediate priority, but governments are likely to encourage the development of LTC programs as demand for them steadily grows. In particular, policymakers are probably going to focus initially on LTC programs for the poor and the vulnerable, for whom LTC affordability is a greater problem. We therefore study how basic elements of policy design affect costeffectiveness of LTC programs by means of a formal model. Our study shows that propoor programs are more cost effective when people have the option to receive cash subsidies, and the availability of in-kind and in-cash choices reduces program costs overall. We argue that our findings are natural starting points to start thinking about LTC program development in the region.

Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the world’s population aged 60 years and older will double, from about 11% to 22%. The absolute number of people 60 years and older is projected to increase from 900 million in 2015 to 1.4 billion by 2030, to 2.1 billion by 2050, and to 3.2 billion in 2100 (1). Between 2025 and 2030, life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will increase to a projected 80.7 years for women and 74.9 years for men; in Canada and the United States of America, those numbers are projected to be even higher: 83.3 years for women and 79.3 years for men (2). The increase in life expectancy is due to several factors, including a decline in fertility rates and success in reducing fatal childhood diseases, maternal mortality, and mortality in older ages (1, 3). However, longer life expectancy is also a source of concern for policymakers; income growth may become harder to realize in countries with large populations of older people, and meeting the needs of a large elderly population will be especially difficult in low- and middle-income countries. It will be necessary to create economic and social institutions that provide income security, adequate health care, and other needs for the aging population (4). An additional issue that policymakers are facing today is how to best define an older person. Terms used to define an older people include “the aged,” “the elderly,” “the third age,” and, in some cultures, “the fourth age” (5). However, being “old” comes at different times to different people (6). How to define older persons will remain a challenge because “the elderly, despite being a class, consist of individuals with unique life experiences, goals, and needs,” and because becoming older involves a change in capacity, social involvement, and physical and mental health (7). In response to these demographic transitions and concerns, the the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have approved strategies and guidelines related to aging and health. In 2002, for the first time, PAHO Member States approved a resolution on health and aging (CSP26.R20). The Region of the Americas was the first WHO region to approve a strategy and plan of action on aging and health, in 2009(8). In June 2016, the Organization of American States, with the technical support of PAHO and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), approved the Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older People (9). These instruments, which have been developed in the international context of health and aging, highlight the need for an innovative approach in the care of older persons. However, most of the countries in the Region still lack a holistic view of the demographic transition and do not provide an integrated approach to the care of older persons. The challenge posed by this change is viewed in a fragmented way, addressing the increased prevalence of chronic diseases, disability, and care dependency, or the consequent impact of these problems on health services, medication use, and long-term care. Therefore, it will be necessary to continue developing an integrated approach and working on comprehensive public health actions “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages through universal health coverage including financial risk protection” (1).

The International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) is a not for profit network that brings people together to advance the science, knowledge and adoption of integrated care policy and practice.

CNBC (02.04.2019) Despite the hefty price tag, there’s a piece of good news about retirees’ health-care costs: They aren’t rising as quickly as they were even a few years ago.

finance.yahoo (29.04.2019) This report covers the public and private sector healthcare sector, including the size and state of the sector and factors influencing its success in areas such as controlling disease, improving mortality rates and training and retaining skilled professionals.

Un recul des prestations versées aux retraités menace dès l'année prochaine du fait de la mauvaise santé financière des fonds de pension. Le Premier ministre a convoqué d'urgence les partenaires sociaux pour remettre à plat le système. Les syndicats entendent négocier un abaissement de l'âge de la retraite à 66 ans.

EL PAÍS Retina (enero 2019) El efecto de la IA no impactará tanto sobre el número de empleos sino sobre cómo ejerceremos cada actividad laboral

 Jordan Times (27.04.2019) EU-funded project aimed at enhancing social protection and integration, at a value of 23 million euros. The project seeks to improve the performance of Jordan's social protection system by developing the infrastructure of the centres and administrative units of the Ministry of Social Development and boosting the monitoring and evaluation network to ensure the best social services for the underprivileged, the youth, women and people with disabilities.

De l'usage des statistiques pour justifier la politique d'emploi que l'on souhaite développer. 

dailymail.co.uk (26.04.2019) A report from the OECD says automation will affect for half of all jobs. In 20 years, 14 percent will be fully automated, and 32 percent will be affected. To help transition it's time that governments develop a plan for workers. Training and even funding could be a part of the solution says the OECD