Oxfam (15.12.2020) As 2020 draws to a close, the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Without urgent action, global poverty and inequality will deepen dramatically. Hundreds of millions of people have already lost their jobs, gone further into debt or skipped meals for months. Research by Oxfam and Development Pathways shows that over 2 billion people have had no support from their governments in their time of need. Our analysis shows that none of the social protection support to those who are unemployed, elderly people, children and families provided in low- and middle-income countries has been adequate to meet basic needs. 41% of that government support was only a one-off payment and almost all government support has now stopped.

europa.eu (15.11.2020) The German presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal on the EU4Health programme for 2021-2027. With a budget of EUR 5.1 billion, the new reinforced programme provides a strong basis for Union action in the health field based on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes at a time when EU citizens still experience the impact of a major health threat and the resulting human suffering and severe socio-economic consequences.

weforum.org  (11.11.2020) COVID-19 has accelerated global efforts to deliver digital healthcare. The move towards value-based healthcare could facilitate universal health coverage and aid post-pandemic recovery. Millions of people living in poverty could benefit directly from new model.

un.org (10.12.2020) The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, slams the levels of financial support for children allocated by high-income countries during the pandemic as totally inadequate, in a child poverty report issued on Friday.

(24.11.2020) China is planning to include new measures to encourage more births and address its rapidly aging population as part of its new 2021-2025 “five-year plan”, state media reported on Monday.

South China Morning Post (29.11.2020) China is planning policies to boost the economic contribution of its elderly citizens, including improving their use of technology In 2019, 12.6 per cent of China’s population was aged 65 or above and that group will hit 300 million by 2025, official data shows

The child care benefit during COVID-19 pandemic will remain available to be used an unlimited number of times until June 2021, as provided by amendments to the Law on Maternity and Sickness Insurance approved by Latvian Saeima’s Social and Employment Matters Committee. The benefit will not be paid if a person is employed, performs economic operations and gains income. The benefit will not be available if the person is paid sick leave, parent, maternity, paternity or idle-period benefits.

Ministry of Labour (01.12.2020) There will be a reduction in ancillary wage costs for all businesses with BUAG affiliation for the months of January to March 2021. Employers are relieved of the surcharges for the bridging allowance. This regulation also applies to the following years, but from December to March. This relief for the companies makes it more attractive to keep employees busy over the winter.

Ministry of Labour (01.12.2020) Up to now, companies in the building trade and the construction industry have been reimbursed an amount of 17 percent for non-wage labor costs for the winter holidays, on which the employee is entitled to continued payment. The ancillary wage costs for social security contributions, family burden compensation fund (FLAF) and municipal tax are now reimbursed in full for the six winter holidays on construction (December 24th to 26th and 31st and January 1st and 6th) at a rate of 30.1 percent. The financing is provided by the BUAK (construction workers vacation and severance fund ). This measure gives construction companies an incentive to keep their workers in employment over the winter instead of registering them as unemployed.

Naver (09.12.2020) South Korea will extend its state employment insurance program to artists starting Thursday as the first step toward expanding coverage to all workers by 2025. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday that artists under work contracts who earn monthly income of at least 500,000 won ($460) will be eligible for coverage under the amended Employment Insurance Act. 

Artists will be eligible to receive an allowance equivalent to 60 percent of their income for at least 120 days if they have paid into the plan for at least nine months.

“From the employment insurance being applied to artists, the measure is believed to help artists who struggle from unstable and declining income from the COVID-19 pandemic as an employment safety net.”

UNDP (03.11.2020) Severe long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could push an additional 207 million people into extreme poverty on top of the current pandemic trajectory, bringing the total to over 1 billion by 2030, according to findings released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).