KPMG Global (27.05.2020) Reduction in the penalty for late payment of social security contributions payable by employers in the amount of 24.8 percent of their employees’ wages (employer’s contributions) for the calendar months of May to July 2020. If the contributions due for these months are paid by 20 October 2020, the employer will be required to pay only 20 percent of the standard penalty for late payment stipulated by the Insurance Premiums Act.2 The reduced penalty will thus correspond to approximately 4 percent interest rate per annum. To obtain the reduction, the employer must submit monthly social security overviews and remit employees’ social security contributions by the regular deadlines. The government’s proposal does not require employers to prove a negative impact of the COVID-19 extraordinary measures, and the reduced penalty for late payment of the employers’ social security contributions is thus available to all employers.

Socialsecurity.be (12.10.2020) The increased use of teleworking due to the Coronavirus will not be taken into account in determining the applicable social security legislation. This period will be neutralised with effect from 13 March 2020. The envisaged expiry date of this measure is 31 December 2020, but this date may be revised according to the Corona measures.

covid19.gov.gg (14.09.2020)

The Policy & Resources Committee has agreed to continue the payroll co-funding scheme for the most impacted sectors and businesses until the end of 2020, having previously been extended to the end of September. However, there will be a further reduction of those eligible for support once the island moves into phase 5c of its exit from lockdown strategy. While no date has been decided to move to phase 5c, it is expected within the period of this three month extension to States funded support.

jointsdgfund.org (10.09.2020)

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Saint Lucia to support an expansion of the nation’s Public Assistance Programme (PAP) by 1,000 households as part of the nation’s 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

Employers may renew or extend fixed-term employment contracts until 31 December 2020 without justification (in derogation of art. 19 of Legislative Decree 81/2015 (which provides for the obligation to state specific reasons for fixed-term employment relationships of more than 12 months). Extension or renewal without justification is permitted only once, and is permitted only within the maximum duration provided for by law, with the result that the relationship may not exceed a total duration of 24 months.

gazzettaufficiale.it (14.08.2020)

The Decree Law 14 has introduced modifications in August 2020 to the use of the existing wage guarantee schemes (Cassa Integrazione Guadagni Ordinaria, CIGO, Cassa integrazione in deroga, CID, Cassa Integrazione Guadagni Straordinaria, CIGSand Fondo di Integrazione Salariale, FIS) for temporary suspensions of work or reductions of working time due to the pandemic : 18 weeks of cassa integrazione are granted between the period 13 July - 31 December. If the first 9 weeks do not involve any cost for the company, the second tranche is subject to an additional contribution to be paid to the INPS, calculated on the overall salary that would have been due to the employee for the hours not worked due to reduction of activity.

Jizokuka-kyufukin (01.09.2020) One time subsidy for small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors whose  sales of any month from January to December reduced by at least 50% compared to that of last year. The amount is 2,000,000 yen maximum for SMEs, and 1,000,000 yen maximum for sole proprietors including freelances. Application can be done online during 1st May 2020 to 15th January 2021.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (25.09.2020) Covered month for the support fund and allowance were extended from September 2020 to December 2020. Similarly, the deadlines for application for each month were simplified and extended to 31th December 2020 for months before September; to  31th March 2021 for October, November and December.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (14.07.2020) 80% of the wage before taking the leave (maximum daily amount 11 ,000 yen) will be paid according to the record of the leave forced to be taken. (limited to the leave taken between April 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020.) However the following two main conditions and others are required. 1. Employees of small and medium sized companies who were/are on leave during the period mentioned above due to the instruction of the employer. 2. Those who have not being paid their wages (or leave allowance) for the leave mentioned in 1.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (09.10.2020) Single-parent temporary special allowance is paid to single-parent households if;

1. they receives child-rearing allowances of June 2020;

2. their child-rearing allowances of June 2020 are suspended due to receiving public pensions; or

3. their income dropped as low as child-rearing allowance beneficiaries.

Basic amount of the special allowance is 50,000 yen. 30,000 yen is added per child  for the second and subsequent child and another 50,000 yen for a household whose income dropped due to Covid-19. The government pays for the funding and local municipalities administers the special allowance. The payment for the household who fulfil condition 1 is to be implemented in August.

Cabinet office (01.05.2020) Special supplement of 10,000 yen per a child is automatically added to child benefits. Beneficiaries who received a child benefit for April 2020 are entitled to the supplement. The government pays for the funding and local municipalities administers the supplement as well as original child benefit.

Development Pathways (08.10.2020) COVID-19 has sparked a mass of interest in “basic income”. South Africa’s Minister of Social Development has advocated it; Spain has promised it on a permanent basis; UNDP has argued for it globally (at least on a temporary basis)... But the more you look at basic income, the less attractive it seems, at least from a social protection perspective.

BBC News (07.10.2020) Extreme poverty is set to rise this year for the first time in more than two decades, with coronavirus expected to push up to 115 million people into that category, the World Bank has said.

capac (22.09.2020) Since September 1, 2020, the rules for temporary corona unemployment have changed.  Only sectors and companies recognized as particularly affected can apply for temporary corona unemployment until December 31, 2020. You can therefore only submit a request for temporary unemployment for corona force majeure if you are working for the employer's account: which falls within a sector particularly affected by the coronavirus crisis  whose company is particularly affected by the coronavirus crisis.

cgdev.org (Sept 2020) Many countries have launched unprecedented relief packages to cushion the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This short review considers some initial lessons emerging from selected countries around the use of digital technology to implement these government-to-people (G2P) social transfer programs. Information is still limited on how well the programs have functioned; in particular, there is a dearth of rapid demand-side survey evidence on the experience of beneficiaries receiving transfers and the likely magnitudes of inclusion and exclusion errors. Nevertheless, the emerging picture provides some indications of how investments in digital systems and their deployment along the social transfer value chain have been facilitating the response. Lessons from the COVID-19-related scale-up of social assistance can be harnessed by developing countries to rethink and strengthen the architecture of social protection systems in the future.

ilo.org (01.10.2020) Based on findings from seven countries (Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand), the ILO has outlined 10 possible policy responses to inform dialogue among governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to advance decent work opportunities for more women and men in the digital economy

socialprotection.org (September 2020) This document provides information and guidance on social protection and older people, with a focus on pensions to cushion the economic impacts of COVID-19. It is intended as an advisory for people involved in planning and delivering social protection support for older people across a range of contexts. The document briefly describes the specific impact of COVID-19 on older people’s health and wellbeing, as well as the socio-economic impacts. It discusses the current responses which for the most part have not specifically targeted older people and makes the case for pensions as a proven mechanisms to provide immediate income support.

Ministry of Economy (28.09.2020) The requirement of the annual Proof of Life (re-registration) of retired civil servants, pensioners and civil political amnesties referred to in Ordinance No. 244 and Normative Instruction No. 45, both of June 15, 2020, is suspended until October 31, 2020.

OFFICIAL BULLETIN REPUBLICA ARGENTINA - General Resolution 4788/2020 (04.08.2020) The postponement or reduction of up to 95% of the payment of employer contributions to the Argentine Integrated Pension System. Certain employers will enjoy the benefit of postponement of the expiration date for the payment of employer contributions to the Argentine Integrated Social Security System for the period accrued in March, April, May, June and July 2020.

a) Accrued in March 2020: from June 9 to July 31, 2020, inclusive.

b) Accrued April 2020: from July 1 to August 31, 2020, inclusive.

c) Accrued May 2020: from August 1 to September 30, 2020, inclusive.

d) Accrued June 2020: from September 1 to October 31, 2020, inclusive.

e) Accrued July 2020: from October 1 to November 30, 2020, inclusive.
 

worldbank.org (28.09.2020) The economic impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented in size and scope. It has quickly evolved from a health emergency into an employment crisis. It also has far-reaching implications for workers beyond the immediate employment effects, as it most likely has accelerated the transformation process of jobs that had already started in the region and the world. This book focuses on three important pre-pandemic trends observed in the region—namely, premature deindustrialization, servicification of the economy, and task automation—that were significantly changing the labor market landscape in the region and that have been accelerated by the crisis.

Gouvernement.lu (25.08.2020) After the agreement in July 2020 with Belgium, Germany and France to maintain the exceptional provision not to take into account the teleworking days linked to the COVID-19 crisis for the determination of the applicable social security legislation frontier workers, Luxembourg and its three neighboring countries have agreed to extend this exemption until December 31, 2020. Concretely, this means that a frontier worker who carries out his work from his home, continues to be affiliated to the Luxembourg social security system and this until the end of 2020.

Guichet.lu (06.07.2020) The agreement between Luxembourg and Germany regarding the social security affiliation of cross-border workers who are teleworking is extended until 31 August 2020. Thus, the days of teleworking due to the COVID-19 crisis: are not taken into account for the determination of the social security legislation that should apply to the workers concerned; will not have any influence on their social security affiliation.

President Taneti Maamau (23.08.2020) Given this ongoing closure of borders, stranded nationals abroad will continue to receive Government’s financial assistance until additional notice is made following the review of border closure at the end of August 2020. This assistance is implemented to ensure I-Kiribati nationals stranded overseas are supported during this unfortunate situation.

socialeurope.eu (24.09.2020) The pandemic has brought into focus the social contract between income and contribution which can underpin a solidaristic welfare state.

panapress (11.07.2020) Ten million pieces of soap will be put on the Burundian market monthly, at a price half subsidized by the state, as part of hygienic measures undertaken by the government in partnership with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.