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EU takes Germany and Italy to court over migrant worker ‘discrimination’ pmassetti politico.eu (25.07.2024) The European Commission said Thursday it is taking legal action against Germany and Italy, accusing both countries of discriminating against EU migrants regarding social security. In 2018 and 2022, respectively, the German state of Bavaria and Italy passed laws reducing the amount of family benefits paid to mobile workers — a term referring to EU nationals working in a country where they are not citizens. As a result, the Commission referred Italy and Germany to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), calling the schemes “discrimination.” Migration Europe
Economic Policy Making to Pursue Economic Welfare pmassetti OECD (May 2023) Effective welfare policies need to consider interactions among economic, social and environmental outcomes. This paper, prepared to support Finance track discussions during Japan’s 2023 Presidency of the G7, describes a variety of national and international initiatives to improve the measurement of multidimensional welfare and well-being "beyond GDP". For example, the 2025 System of National Accounts (SNA) will provide greater visibility to the digital economy and free digital services, unpaid household activities, and the depletion of natural capital. More than two-thirds of OECD countries have also developed national frameworks, development plans or surveys with a multidimensional well-being focus, spanning a broad range of economic, social and environmental outcomes and inequalities that matter to people’s well-being and its sustainability. Some G7 and OECD economies have started using this evidence to inform budgeting, enhance policy appraisal and evaluation tools (including cost-benefit analysis), and to guide government performance management frameworks and inclusive growth strategies. Social policies & programmes
Society at a Glance 2024 : OECD Social Indicators pmassetti oecd (20.06.2024) Society at a Glance 2024: OECD Social Indicators, the tenth edition of the biennial OECD overview of social indicators, addresses the growing demand for quantitative evidence on social well-being and its trends. The report features a special chapter on fertility trends which discusses evidence from recent OECD analysis on the effect of labour market outcomes, housing costs and different aspects of the family policy framework (e.g. parental leave, childcare, and financial supports) on fertility trends and highlights key policy challenges. This edition of Society at a Glance also includes a special section based on the 2022 OECD Risks that Matter Survey on people’s perceptions of social and economic risks and the extent to which they think governments address those risks effectively. Society at a Glance presents 25 social indicators, 5 each in chapters on General context, Self-sufficiency, Equity, Health, and Social cohesion. Social policies & programmes
The United States will need 7 million migrants to cover old age support programs for baby boomers pmassetti elpais.com (21.06.2024) The country’s aging population and low fertility rate jeopardizes the solvency of Social Security and the Medicare program, according to a new study by Brookings Pensions United States
EU: Pension adequacy report underlines importance of resilient European pension systems in the face of global challenges pmassetti European Commission (20.06.2024) The report highlights that European pension systems have protected retired Europeans’ living standards in the face of global challenges. Resilient public pensions, indexation, and redistribution mechanisms have maintained pension adequacy during crises. However, pensions are predicted to decrease, calling for reinforced policies to promote longer careers, healthy ageing policies, inclusive labour markets, and greater flexibility in retirement pathways. The report calls for further reforms to ensure fair retirement security for all and prevent socio-economic inequalities from increasing with age, amid demographic and labour market changes. Pensions Europe
Singapore’s new law weaves safety net for gig workers pmassetti Singapore Business Review (20.06.2024) Gig workers will be enabled to secure their retirement, benefit from improved workplace safety, and gain greater visibility within the industry. singapore
Making Pension Savings Easy and Efficient for Informal Sector Workers - Learning from Kenya’s Haba Haba Pilot pmassetti worldbank.org (21.05.2024) Haba Haba, which means “bit by bit” in Swahili, is a voluntary pension scheme in Kenya for workers in informal employment and promises to be a scheme through which they can slowly but surely save for their old age. The scheme, administered by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was launched as a pilot in 2019. Haba Haba allows for easy, anytime, anywhere savings by informal economy workers. Registration, contributions, and access can be handled via mobile phone by dialing USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) *303# or by contacting the NSSF via WhatsApp. The registration process only requires an individual’s first and last names, and government identification (ID) number. Contributions can be paid in person at NSSF offices or through the mobile money platform M-Pesa. Pensions kenya
Rwanda's Innovative Approach to Early Childhood Development Through Social Protection pmassetti worldbank.org (14.06.2024) Through its Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) Program, supported by the World Bank under the Social Protection Transformation Project, Rwanda is successfully providing high-quality care and early stimulation for children, helping parents access resources necessary for proper family nutrition. Consequently, the country has made significant strides in its commitment to early childhood development reforms and is setting an example worldwide. Children rwanda
South Africa: Government pension fund systems offline for months after ransomware attack pmassetti mybroadband.co.za (13.06.2024) The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) suffered a cyberattack in February 2024, and it only expects to restore its self-service functionality by 21 June 2024. A notice published on the GEPF’s social media pages says the self-service functionality on its web platform and app was still offline due to the data breach at the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA). “The GPAA has determined that a total rebuild of the platforms is necessary to ensure a stronger platform,” it said. It is expected that the rebuilt platforms will be operational by 21 June. Security south africa
Ghana's National Health Insurance Authority Will Roll Out Visitors Health Insurance Scheme In July pmassetti The policy would require non-residents on a visit to Ghana to sign onto a health insurance scheme during their stay Health insurance ghana
A new dawn for public employment services : Service delivery in the age of artificial intelligence pmassetti oecd (13.06.2024) As part of broader digitalisation efforts, half of public employment services (PES) in OECD countries are employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance their services. AI is being adopted across all key tasks of PES, including most commonly to match jobseekers with vacancies. While several PES have been using such tools for a decade, adoption of AI has been increasing in recent years as these become more accessible. New AI use cases have emerged to assist employers in designing vacancy postings and jobseekers in their career management and job-search strategies. AI initiatives have significant impact on PES clients, changing how they interact with the PES and receive support, and PES staff, altering their day-to-day work. As PES seek to maximise the opportunities brought by AI, proactive steps should be taken to mitigate associated risks. Key considerations for PES include prioritising transparency of AI algorithms and explainability of results, establishing governance frameworks, ensuring end-users (staff and clients) are included and supported in the development and adoption process, and committing to rigorous monitoring and evaluation to increase the positive and manage any negative impact of AI solutions. Employment, Service delivery
South Africa - Two Pot Retirement System pmassetti (10.06.2024) The two-pot retirement system is a reform that will allow retirement fund members to make partial withdrawals from their retirement funds before retirement, while preserving a portion... managing reforms, ssptw Pensions south africa
The Republic of Korea: Extending social insurance to digital platform workers pmassetti (10.05.2024) Extending social insurance to platform workers in the Republic of Korea offers valuable lessons for other countries facing similar challenges. This brief outlines recent advancements in extending employment injury and employment insurance coverage to platform workers, emphasizing legal frameworks and operational processes leveraging digital technologies. digital platforms Extension of coverage korea, Republic of
Light entrepreneurship on the upswing in Finland – improves employment but places many in a vulnerable labour market position pmassetti Finnish Centre for Pensions (08.05.2024) The number of light entrepreneurs has grown rapidly in recent years. At the same time, the profile of light entrepreneurs has changed: they are increasingly younger, of foreign origin and have only a basic education. The Finnish Centre for Pensions’ study examines, for the first time, the careers, income and pension accrual of light entrepreneurs in Finland over a period of several years. digital platforms finland
Switzerland: Social security changes come into force, with implications for pension plans - WTW pmassetti Switzerland’s AHV/AVS 21 law, which was approved by parliament and then passed by public referendum in 2022, took effect January 1, 2024. Among other things, the law will increase the age for normal retirement (now called the “reference age”) for women under the social security AHV/AVS[1] retirement program as well as for pension plans that provide the mandatory BVG/LPP[2] retirement benefits. managing reforms, ssptw
Modernising Access to Social Protection: Strategies, Technologies and Data Advances in OECD Countries pmassetti oecd.org (28.05.2024) Despite having advanced social protection systems, OECD countries still face challenges in identifying, enrolling, and providing benefits and services to all those in need. Even when programmes are well-designed and adequately funded, cumbersome enrolment processes and challenges in service and benefit delivery can be an obstacle to the full take-up of social programmes. Advances in digital technologies and data can go a long way towards making social protection more accessible and effective. This report presents a stocktaking of OECD governments’ strategies to identify individuals and groups in need, collect and link (potential) beneficiary data across administrative and survey sources, and apply data analytics and new technologies to improve programme enrolment and the benefit/service delivery experience – all with the objective of reaching people in need of support in OECD countries. E-services, Service delivery
Playbook on Digital Social Protection Delivery Systems: Towards Dynamic Inclusion and Interoperability pmassetti worldbank.org (08.05.2024) The Playbook on Digital Social Protection Delivery Systems (DSPDS) offers a modular DSPDS framework for a holistic approach to data management, analytics, and decision support to scale-up the delivery of social protection to people in a time of expanding crises. The Playbook comprises a Guidance Note and an Assessment Tool designed. for social protection policy makers and practitioners working in low- and middle-income countries. On the one hand, the Guidance Note sets up a forward-looking framework to address the core characteristics of DSPDS cascading down to data, processes, technologies, institutions, and performance criteria involved in designing, implementing, and governing such systems. On the other hand, the Assessment Tool is meant to be used to take stock of existing systems plotting out from the Guidance Note. While certain component systems receive greater attention and constitute the focus of the Playbook, it does not dive deep into other key components, such as unique identification and payments, as there are existing ISPA tools for such systems (ISPA 2017, 2020). In line with the Social Protection Inter-Agency Cooperation Board (SPIAC-B), social protection is defined as “the set of policies and programs aimed at preventing or protecting all people against poverty, vulnerability, and social exclusion throughout their life cycles, placing a particular emphasis on vulnerable groups. The Playbook is mostly focused on non-contributory social protection programs, but core tenets of this report can be extrapolated to contributory schemes. As countries transition toward universal social protection, it is crucial to prioritize support to the poorest and vulnerable, with social assistance playing a central role. Information and communication technology, Interoperability
Dominican Republic: A Climate-Resilient Social Protection System pmassetti worldbank.org (28.05.2024) Reina Solano, a single mother of five, lives in a modest house in Higüey, in La Altagracia province in the Dominican Republic. Her household was among the 35,000 identified as the most affected by Hurricane Fiona. The heavy rains and strong winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour caused severe flooding and extensive damage, destroying homes and key infrastructure in the Dominican Republic. “Fiona was a disaster for me. It caused a lot of destruction,” she says. Soon after, Reina benefited from the Emergency Bonus (Bono de Emergencia) an initiative from the social protection program SUPERATE, an emergency cash transfer to temporarily offset the losses she had suffered at home. “I received monthly money that I used to buy food for my children,” she explains. However, the respite was brief. “After Fiona, (Hurricane) Franklin came. The entire street was under water, and we have to look for shelter in the church,” she recalls. For Dominicans, this cycle of disasters underscores the importance of the social protection system in a country highly vulnerable to climate change. Environment and climate change dominican republic
Enhancing Social Protection for Migrant Workers: Challenges and Strategies in the East and Horn of Africa pmassetti .ilo.org (27.05.2024) Migration in the East and Horn of Africa (EHoA) is characterised as mixed migration. The region is a source, transit, and destination for various migratory flows, with forced migration and labour migration continuing to drive the main movement trends within and across countries. Migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees, often travel along similar routes into, within, and out of the region. Migration from the region occurs along three main routes: the eastern route to Yemen and the Gulf, the southern route towards South Africa, and the northern route to North Africa and Europe. The geographic sub-region spans a total of 18 countries, each with its unique migration pattern and profile, hosting 7.7 million international migrants in 2020. The migration landscape is majorly influenced by a complex interplay of factors, such as armed conflict, political instability, environmental degradation, climate change, unemployment, and limited economic opportunities.  Migration Africa
US: Biden Admin Struggles to Address Sharp Rise in Deaths From Extreme Heat pmassetti The New York Times (25.05.2024) For more than two years, a group of health experts, economists and lawyers in the U.S. government has worked to address a growing public health crisis: people dying on the job from extreme heat. In the coming months, this team of roughly 30 people at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to propose a new rule that would require employers to protect an estimated 50 million people exposed to high temperatures while they work. They include farm laborers and construction workers, but also people who sort packages in warehouses, clean airplane cabins and cook in commercial kitchens. The measure would be the first major federal government regulation to protect Americans from heat on the job. Occupational accidents and diseases, Environment and climate change United States
Financing gap for universal social protection: Global, regional and national estimates and strategies for creating fiscal space pmassetti ilo.org (23.04.2024) The primary aim of the study is to provide updated estimates of the financing gap to attain universal coverage for social protection floors. This estimation encompasses 133 low- and middle-income countries, and includes five income security guarantees (for children, persons with severe disabilities, mothers of newborns, older persons and the unemployed), together with essential health care.  Estimates show that, for low- and middle-income countries, the financing gap to achieve universal coverage of social protection floors is 3.3 per cent of GDP annually. However, for low-income countries, the financing gap is an overwhelming 52.3 per cent of their GDP annually.  In 2024, for low- and middle-income countries, the additional government spending needed to achieve universal social protection represents 10.6 per cent of their annual government expenditure, or 31.6 per cent of their social protection expenditure. However, for low-income countries, building social protection floors requires the mobilization of four times their annual government expenditure or nearly 28 times their social protection expenditure. Universal Social Protection Extension of coverage
Scaling Up Social Assistance Where Data is Scarce - Opportunities and Limits of Novel Data and AI pmassetti

worldbank.org (16.05.2024) During the recent Covid-19 shock (2020/21), most countries used cash transfers to protect the livelihoods of those affected by the pandemic or by restrictions on mobility or economic activities, including the poor and vulnerable. While a large majority of countries mobilized existing programs and/or administrative databases to expand support to new beneficiaries, countries without such programs or databases were severely limited in their capacity to respond. Leveraging the Covid-19 shock as an opportunity to leapfrog and innovate, various low-income countries used new sources of data and computational methods to rapidly develop -level welfare-targeted programs. This paper reviews both crisis-time programs and regular social protection operations to distill lessons that could be applicable for both contexts. It examines three programs from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Togo, and Nigeria that used geospatial and mobile phone usage data and/or artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning methods to estimate the welfare of applicants for individual-level welfare targeting and deliver emergency cash transfers in response to the pandemic. Additionally, it reviews two post-pandemic programs, in Lome, Togo and in rural Lilongwe, Malawi, that incorporated those innovations into the more traditional delivery infrastructure and expanded their monitoring and evaluation framework. The rationale, key achievements, and main challenges of the various approaches are considered, and cases from other countries, as well as innovations beyond targeting, are taken into account. The paper concludes with policy recommendations and promising research topics to inform the discourse on leveraging novel data sources and estimation methods for improved social assistance in and beyond emergency settings.

 Artificial intelligence, Data analytics, COVID-19
India: Regulatory Framework and the Protection of Basic Rights of Gig Workers pmassetti

barandbench.com (16.05.2024) The gig economy, a burgeoning sector, represents a paradigm shift in traditional employment models, offering flexibility and autonomy to workers across various industries. Despite its benefits, the sector's rapid growth, particularly in urban India, has highlighted significant regulatory gaps, especially concerning the protection of gig workers' basic rights. The informal nature of gig work, mediated through digital platforms, poses unique challenges in ensuring fair labour practices and safeguarding workers' rights. Thus, there is a rising concern for the gig workers’ right to basic amenities as they move from one job to another quickly and don't have any substantive legal protection, and several times it can be extremely tough for them.

 digital platforms Platform workers india
Designers improve the user experience of social services in Moldova at UX4Gov Designathon pmassetti

undp.org (22.04.2024) UNDP Moldova will support the UX4Gov Designathon – a creative event designed to connect designers with public institutions to create user-centric solutions and improve public services. As part of the event, UNDP Moldova will support the conceptualization of the interface for a future single platform for the delivery of social services, to be developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. Product designers, UX/UI specialists, web designers and graphic designers, as well as all those passionate about technology and social impact are invited to register for the event. In addition to social protection, teams will have the opportunity to develop digital solutions in the fields of justice, healthcare, fintech and metrology.

 E-services moldova, Republic of
Financing Social Protection - Lessons from Gig Workers in India pmassetti

WIEGO (23.10.2023) The extension of social protection to all workers, including those in the informal economy, is crucial to creating better quality employment. For this to happen, it is essential that financing for social protection is increased. A new scheme for financing social protection for gig workers in Rajasthan, India, could provide lessons for other workers in informal employment. WIEGO spoke to social activist Nikhil Dey to learn more.

 digital platforms Platform workers