VOX, CEPR Policy Portal  (03.12.2018) Worldwide ageing trends are steering global demographics into uncharted territory, transforming populations and societies around the globe. Japan is leading the way in this growth wave as the world’s oldest population and is now grappling with the substantial socioeconomic burdens an ageing population places on society. This column discusses the coming challenges associated with population ageing alongside plausible solutions. While there is no magic bullet for these challenges, there is scope to devise a multi-pronged solutions portfolio of complementary initiatives that includes a number of measures to promote and protect elderly health.  

Reuters  (13.12.2018) Is it time to raise the Social Security retirement age? The idea crops up often as a partial fix for the long-term financial challenges facing the program.  A higher retirement age would reduce the number of years on average that people receive benefits, as a way to cut program costs. But according to an economist at the Urban Institute who specializes in employment and retirement decisions made by older Americans, raising the retirement age would inflict serious harm on roughly one-quarter of Social Security beneficiaries.

lecomparateurassurance (12.12.2018) D’une manière générale, l’Assurance maladie prend en charge une partie ou la totalité des médicaments achetés sous prescription. En Suisse, les conditions à respecter sont plus précises pour que l’achat soit remboursé. Toujours est-il que les assureurs du pays assistent actuellement à une explosion de leurs charges concernant ce type de couverture. Un rapport a été dressé par le leader du secteur, Helsana, afin de mieux comprendre ce qui se passe.

Telegraph.co.uk (03.12.2018) Foreigners who have moved to Austria but have not yet picked up the language are set to be hit by a controversial reform to the country’s social welfare system, as the Right-wing government steps up its efforts to deter immigration.

OECD (04.12.2018) Governments need to do more to help workers and firms adapt to the fast-changing world of work and drive inclusive growth, according to the new OECD Jobs Strategy.New evidence in the report reveals that countries that promote job quantity, quality and inclusiveness – such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – perform better than those which focus predominantly on market flexibility. While flexibility and adaptability are essential to stimulate the creation of high-quality jobs in an ever more dynamic environment, the gains and costs need to be fairly shared between businesses and workers, according to the OECD.

El Pais (18.12.2018) Uno de cada cuatro pensionistas del país euroasiático tiene un empleo formal. La reforma de las pensiones está restando popularidad a Putin Rusia tiene una de las edades de jubilación más bajas del mundo desarrollado: 60 años para los hombres y 55 para las mujeres. Algo que, unido a las delgadas pensiones públicas—de media unos 13.323 rublos mensuales (unos 175 euros), según datos oficiales—, han creado un ecosistema de jubilados trabajadores. Como Antonova, 9,25 millones de rusos de los casi 40 que reciben una prestación por jubilación tiene un empleo formal, según datos de la Administración. Es decir, uno de cada cuatro. Aunque la cifra puede ser incluso mayor, como reconocen en el Fondo de Pensiones de Rusia, ya que no todos los empleos necesitan registrarse.

peoplemanagement.co.uk (17.12.2018) The legislation, introduced today, means staff must be informed of their rights from their first day of work, including eligibility for paid and sick leave. Workers must also be given the right to request predictable hours

WSJ (18.12.2018) The Mexican government, labor and business sectors agreed Monday to raise the minimum wage by 16.2% in 2019, a third consecutive year of double-digit increases aimed at restoring the purchasing power of the country’s lowest earners. The minimum wage will rise to 102.68 pesos ($5.10) a day from 88.36 pesos on Jan. 1, while along the northern border with the U.S. the minimum daily wage will double to 176.72 pesos ($8.80), said Labor Minister Luisa María Alcalde.

The Malta Independent (14.12.2018) Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant said the May European Elections must ensure the best levels of social protection in terms of quality of life and wellbeing across Europe. The  implementation of social policies across Europe should remain in large part a matter for national authorities to determine the when and the how, in response to changing economic and social requirements within their communities.

brookings.edu (12.12.2018) An extensive literature examines the link between social protection-related public spending and objective outcomes of well-being such as income, employment, education, and health (see Department for International Development [DFID], 2011; ILO, 2010; World Bank, 2012). Much less attention has been given to how government social protection policies influence individuals’ own sense of well-being, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (often referred to as developing countries). Yet, the effectiveness and the sustainability of such policies and programs often depend on how people perceive them (Arampatzi, Burger, Ianchovichina, Röhricht, & Veenhoven, 2015; Livani, 2017; Oishi, Schimmack, & Diener, 2012; Veenhoven, 2002; Verme et al., 2014). 

There is an established body of evidence linking systems of social protection to health systems and health outcomes. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide further emphasis on this linkage as necessary to achieving health and non-health goals. Existing literature on social protection and health has focused primarily on cash transfers. We sought to identify potential research priorities concerning social protection and health in low and middle-income countries, from multiple perspectives.

yabiladi (13.12.2018) La Chambre des représentants a approuvé, mardi à l'unanimité lors de la séance plénière, deux projets de loi relatifs au régime de sécurité sociale. Le premier texte concerne le projet de loi 84-17 modifiant et complétant le dahir portant loi 1-72-184 du 15 Joumada II 1392 (27 juillet 1972) relatif au régime de sécurité sociale.
 

IMF Finance & Development Magazine | December 2018 - China strives to adapt social protection to the needs of a market economy

Le Monde (13.12.2018) Selon le ministère du travail, l’augmentation touchera de manière directe 1,3 million de travailleurs, dont la rémunération se situe actuellement sous la barre des 900 euros.  « Un pays riche ne peut pas avoir des travailleurs pauvres. » Le chef du gouvernement espagnol, le socialiste Pedro Sanchez, a justifié en ces termes l’augmentation, dès janvier 2019, du salaire minimum (SMI) de 22,3 %, qu’il approuvera lors du conseil des ministres du 21 décembre. Le SMI passera de 637 euros mensuels actuellement à 900 euros (sur quatorze mensualités, soit 1 050 euros par mois sur douze mois). Il s’agit de sa plus forte hausse depuis 1977.

gulf-times (12.12.2018) Since its establishment in 2002, the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority worked on being a safe haven for Qatari citizens, as well as on supporting the 2030 National Vision and other national development strategies.  The authority is also looking to reach the highest levels of efficiency, and the most prestigious status among its peers, reflecting the values of the Qatari society in terms of respecting privacy and enjoying its prosperity

Journal du Senegal (11.12.2018)  L’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) a approuvé le programme de couverture maladie universelle (CMU) du Kénya, dont la phase pilote doit être lancée jeudi à Kisumu (ouest) par le président Uhuru Kenyatta.En signe de soutien, le Directeur général de l’OMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesos a déclaré lundi qu’il mobilise les hauts responsables de son organisation pour assister à l’événement de lancement de Kisumu, qui marquera le début de la phase pilote du programme de la CMU dans quatre comtés de la région.

WHO (07.12.2018) More people can access essential health services today than ever before, but at least half of the world’s population still go without.  Those living in the poorest countries, in the most marginalized communities, face the greatest challenges in access, the highest burden of disease, and the worst health outcomes. 

medicalxpress (11.12..2018) Workplace exposure to metals and pesticides is linked to a heightened risk of heart disease in Hispanic and Latino workers, reveals research published online in the journal Heart.   Language barriers and low levels of education, coupled with fears about job security and immigration status, may make this rapidly growing ethnic group especially vulnerable, say the researchers.

Eurostat (12.12.2018) Social protection expenditure in the European Union (EU) stood at 28.2% of GDP in 2016, slightly down compared with 28.4% in 2015, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In 2016, the two main sources of funding of social protection at EU level were social contributions, making up 55% of total receipts, and general government contributions from taxes at 40%. The EU average continued to mask major disparities between Member States. In 2016, social protection expenditure represented at least 30% of GDP in France (34%), Finland and Denmark (both 32%) as well as in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands (all 30%). In contrast, social protection expenditure stood below 20% of GDP in Romania, Latvia and Lithuania (all 15%), Ireland (16%), Estonia and Malta (both 17%), Bulgaria and Slovakia (both 18%) as well as Czechia, Cyprus and Hungary (all 19%).

ippmedia.com (30.10.2018) After a prolonged period of economic stagnation and decline, African economies have experiences rapid growth over the last two decades. 

Cinco Días (10.12.2018) Se revisará el diseño del complemento por productividad, que es el mismo desde que se creó en 1998, hace 20 años

Newsday (08.12.2018) Regional health systems are expanding what they predict will be the next frontier in treatment: telemedicine, a form of remote care where doctors interact with patients via a phone, tablet or other devices with a camera. Remote visits can range from having a physician check a sore throat with a flashlight on a patient's smartphone, to routine post-operation checkups, where a doctor directs a subject to push parts of their body and asks for feedback on pain levels. 

Graphic Online (07.12.2018) The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has held a stakeholders’ consultative meeting with the private sector and state-owned institutions, to discuss how to improve on, and facilitate the passage of the revised Social Protection (SP) Bill, 2018

Belta (07.12.2018) On the initiative of the Labor and Social Security Ministry of Belarus, the draft new general agreement between the government, the national employers' associations and trade unions has incorporated the basic approaches that will contribute to the promotion of the zero occupational accident concept in the country, Labor and Social Security Minister Irina Kostevich told the media, BelTA has learned.

 Daily Times (06.12.2018) The Labour & Human Resource Department organised a conference on Vision Zero on Wednesday with support of German development agency GIZ. Labour & HR Department Additional Secretary Dr Sohail Shahzad welcomed the participants for the event and highlighted the framework of occupational safety and health in the light of priority area of the government. He introduced the relationship of this event with concept of improved governance. He appreciated that the role of GIZ, CIWC, Labour Welfare director general and Punjab Employees Social Security Institution in bringing commitment to introduce Vision Zero as a guiding principle for the safety of workers.