OECD (November 2018) This annual edition of Labour Force Statistics provides detailed statistics on labour force, employment and unemployment, broken down by gender, as well as unemployment duration, employment status, employment by sector of activity and part-time employment. It also contains participation and unemployment rates by gender and detailed age groups as well as comparative tables for the main components of the labour force. Data are available for each OECD member country and for OECD-Total, Euro area and European Union. The time series presented in the publication cover 10 years for most countries. It also provides information on the sources and definitions used by member countries in the compilation of those statistics.

Taarifa Rwanda (23.11.2018) Between 1990 and 2015, Rwanda registered quite a number of milestones in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Infant mortality rate was reduced by 74%, while the rate of maternal mortality reduced by 78%, according to Finance Minister Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana.

TowerPostNews (20.11.2918) The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has won the prestigious Gold Award, Report of The Year at the 8th edition of the Annual Financial Reporting Awards (FiRe Awards) that took place last Wednesday at Kampala Serena Hotel. The Fund was commended for presenting an all-round impressive and highly innovative annual report, showing a clear commitment to high standards of financial reporting, effectively reporting on financial, governance, environmental & social aspects and other activities of the Fund.

Depuis quelques années, le nombre d’arrêts de travail est en augmentation constante en France. Pourquoi cette tendance que l’on ne retrouve pas forcément chez nos voisins ? Dans la dernière étude de l’Institut Sapiens sur le sujet, Laurent Cappelletti, professeur au CNAM, avance une explication intéressante : il s’agirait là de l’expression d’un « ras-le-bol » managérial, puisque 99% des absences évitables seraient liées avant tout à des dysfonctionnements dans le management des personnes. Voilà sans doute qui devraient inciter les entreprises françaises à tourner définitivement le dos aux modèles tayloristes anciens, centrés sur les procédures et la spécialisation excessive du travail. Aux Pays-Bas, en Suède, ou encore au Canada, pays qui se sont éloignés de ces modèles, l’absentéisme est nettement plus faible. En France, en attendant une éventuelle transition managériale, il continue de représenter un manque à gagner de 100 milliards d’euros par an pour les entreprises et l’État…

 Healthcare Informatics (21.11.2018) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made strides in providing more affordable, accessible care for all patients. A new rule allowing Medicare Advantage beneficiaries to access telehealth from home was recently proposed. CMS also released its CY 2019 Physician Fee Schedule final rule, which includes reimbursement for telehealth and virtual care services.

resakss.org (2018) Social protection initiatives in Africa increasingly aim to institutionalize systems that guarantee assistance for the poor and protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks. Through direct and indirect income effects, social protection programs can also play an instrumental role in promoting agricultural development and, more broadly, economic growth. Two major trends will determine the future demand for social protection in African countries. One is the persistent high rates of poverty that are the result of decades of economic decline and stagnation that preceded the recent economic recovery. The other is the transition toward more democratic, pluralistic political systems combined with faster economic growth and a more vocal urban segment of the poor and vulnerable population.

The Sun (20.11.2018) Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty revealed the news as she unveiled the Government's First 5 strategy which she says aims to support babies, young children and their families

Le Figaro (27.10.2018) Une loi fédérale, qui autorise la surveillance en cas de soupçons de fraude à l'assurance maladie, sera soumise au vote des Suisses en novembre prochain. Un type de contrôle qui porte ses fruits mais qui pose des problèmes, dans son principe et son application.

Europa (13.11.2018) The study, which includes country reports and a synthesis report, provides an overview of inequality in access to healthcare in 35 European countries - EU Member States as well as EFTA and enlarging countries - showing that important inequalities persist, both between and within countries.

NZZ (09.11.2018) Immer mehr Menschen arbeiten via Internetplattformen. Um die Innovationskraft des digitalen Arbeitsmodells auszuschöpfen, sollte man die wachsende Flexibilität mit sozialer Sicherheit kombinieren. Es drängen sich neue Formen der Absicherung auf.

lusakatimes (06.11.2018) Government has urged District Commissioners to take keen interest in monitoring social protection programmes and ensure that intended beneficiaries are reached. Community development minister Olipa Phiri says this is because District Commissioners are government’s link pins in ensuring effective implementation of programmes such as social cash transfer (SCT) , among others.

ILO (16.11.2018) Working poverty, informality and vulnerable employment are amongst the persistent challenges of Asia-Pacific labour markets according to a new ILO report. The report calls for coordinated policies to promote decent work as the link to translate economic growth into sustainable development in the region.

france info (16.11.2918) Une personne sur quatre, en France, déclarait avoir été blessée au travail, au moins une fois au cours de sa carrière. C'est ce qui ressort de l'étude publiée ce jeudi par l'Insee, qui détaille la fréquence de ces accidents auprès des ouvriers, des artisans et des agriculteurs et en souligne les conséquences.

oecd.org (07.11.2018) Social protection systems are often still designed for the archetypical full-time dependent employee. Work patterns deviating from this model – be it self-employment or online "gig work" – can lead to gaps in social protection coverage. Globalisation and digitalisation are likely to exacerbate this discrepancy as new technologies make it easier and cheaper to offer and find work online, and online work platforms have experienced spectacular growth in recent years. While new technologies and the new forms of work they create bring the incomplete social protection of non-standard workers to the forefront of the international policy debate, non-standard work and policies to address such workers’ situation are not new: across the OECD on average, one in six workers is self-employed, and a further one in eight employees is on a temporary contract. Thus, there are lessons to be learned from country experiences of providing social protection to non-standard workers. This report presents seven policy examples from OECD countries, including the "artists’ insurance system" in Germany or voluntary unemployment insurance for self-employed workers in Sweden. It draws on these studies to suggest policy options for providing social protection for non-standard workers, and for increasing the income security of on-call workers and those on flexible hours contracts.

Les Echos (18.10.2018) Si les effets de l'automatisation sur l'emploi sont discutés, les études disponibles montrent qu'elle favorise les inégalités. L'utilisation de la robotique s'accélère dans l'industrie. Selon les derniers chiffres de la Fédération internationale de la robotique (IFR), le stock mondial de robots industriels a doublé au cours des dix dernières années.

socialprotection (Nov.2018) This brief discusses the relationship between resilience, preparedness, humanitarian assistance and social protection for children in the Europe and Central Asia region. Its objective is to provide ideas and suggestions for UNICEF’s work to support social protection systems to better prepare, prevent, respond to and recover from crisis and emergencies affecting children and their families. The brief is intended as a resource for UNICEF staff of the Europe and Central Asia region.

Diario La Página (06.11.2018) El sistema de salud de Chile es el más eficiente de América Latina y el de Guatemala se sitúa en el último lugar de la clasificación, así lo reveló el primer estudio de eficacia de los sistemas de salud en la región del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). Entre los 71 países analizados, 22 de 27 latinoamericanos y caribeños se sitúan en la mitad inferior de la tabla y, de ellos, 12 están en el último cuarto. Chile ocupa el octavo puesto y es hasta en el sitio 31 que volvemos a encontrar los países latinos: Costa Rica (31), Uruguay (35), El Salvador (44), Argentina (45), Paraguay (46), Belice (47), Colombia (48), Brasil (49), México (50)… y Guatemala ocupa el último lugar del listado (69).

Georgia Today on the Web (03.11.2018) Georgian Prime Minister Mamkuka Bakhtadze announced today that the social protection allowance for vulnerable children under the age of 16 and for families with children will be increased by 400%. Speaking at a press conference before opening the governmental session, Bakhtadze explained that the increase in social protection will cover 140,000 vulnerable children. The change, he promised, will be included in the 2019 state budget.

ecoactu (08.11.2018) Le ministre du Travail et de l’Insertion professionnelle s’apprête à lancer un Plan national santé et sécurité au travail. La couverture des maladies professionnelles bientôt obligatoire dans les assurances

leseco.ma (14.09.2018) Le Registre social unique (RSU) vise à améliorer le ciblage des prestations des programmes de protection sociale. La préparation de ce projet est passée à la vitesse supérieure depuis juillet dernier.

letemps.ch (09.11.2018) Alors que les coûts de la santé deviennent de plus en plus insupportables pour la classe moyenne, des voix s’élèvent pour repenser tout le système de santé et l’axer sur la prévention

FULL text - 

http://pombo.free.fr/colinhedge.pdf

or pdf attached

For three decades we’ve been living through a paradigm shift. Our world is moving from the fading Fordist age to the ever-strengthening digital age. This shift is as unstoppable as the one that once brought us from railroads and steel mills to Fordist factories. And its impact on our lives is just as radical.

In this context, the lessons from history are clear: Providing economic security for the many generates prosperity for all. But this can only be done with the right safety net supporting both households and businesses against the risks brought about by the digital age.

There are those who long to re-establish the standards and regulations that marked the post-war boom. Others, especially in tech, realize that the institutions we know are anachronistic and no longer fit for today’s challenges.

Alas, neither group is considering the real solution: A complete redesign of our safety net that will let it do its critically important job without getting in the way of progress. Moving toward that new design is what Hedge is all about.

sixthtone.com (31.10.2018) Chinese authorities plan to introduce a blacklist system by the end of the year that specifically targets those who pocket social security benefits, China News reported. 

Alan Turing Institute (24.10.2018)  In this document, we offer a review of recent literature on the future of work. Using a critical review method, the report synthesises key findings about the future of work focusing on three main areas: broad research findings, emerging research directions, and innovative data science research directions. The first part of the review summarises and discusses changes in the nature and creation of jobs, assignments, and tasks; changing organisation of work and production; varying impacts of the changing nature of work on society; and the governance of these changes through politics, policy and institutions. The second section addresses potential drivers of the changing nature of work; disparate impacts of technology on different tasks; challenges for young people to boost employability; impacts of the changing nature of work on the disenfranchised; and proposals for policies and governance models to manage the transitions related to the future of work. The third section discusses research approaches and findings around the susceptibility of tasks and assignments to computerisation; industrial diversification and data-driven policy tools; and development of online labour markets.

arabtimesonline (07.11.2018) Society’s security could not be achieved without having effective economic and social security policies that meet people’s needs and preserve their rights, Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Minister of Finance Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf has stated. This remark was made by Al-Hajraf at the inauguration of the 19th conference of the International Conference of Social Security Actuaries, Statisticians and Investment Specialists which kicked off on Kuwait Tuesday under aegis of His Highness the Amir.