theconversation.com (29.03.2026) South Africa introduced a new amendment to the parental leave policy in October 2025. The aim was to provide equitable rights for all parents. Noreth Muller-Kluits, a disability researcher and social worker by training, examines the policy as it affects people living with disabilities. Her recent work includes formulating a guide to support reproductive healthcare for women with disabilities.

employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu (17.03.2026) A new report by the European Social Policy Analysis Network (ESPAN) examines long-term care (LTC) settings for older people in 38 countries: the 27 EU countries, nine (potential) candidate countries, as well as Iceland and Norway.

Public Employment Services (PES) are increasingly adopting digital tools for jobseeker registration, vacancy matching and satisfaction monitoring to respond to an older client base, shifting labour market conditions and organisational challenges. They are also adopting skills-based approaches, particularly in client profiling. Furthermore, most PES are involved in the management, coordination, and delivery of the reinforced Youth Guarantee (YG), with involvement increasing since 2023 across various phases of its delivery.

ilo.org (6 March 2026) This paper explores how the evolving platform economy is reshaping the economic landscape across Asia and the Pacific, and how countries in this diverse region are navigating emerging opportunities and challenges.

theconversation.com (13.04.2026) The familiar silhouette of bike and scooter delivery workers has become part of Paris’ urban landscape. For many city dwellers who rely on them to deliver meals to their door, these precarious workers remain largely “invisible” in surveys and public statistics. Yet, the availability of quality data about online platforms’ delivery drivers is a major issue.

(Reuters) - Italy's population has stabilised after 12 ‌years of decline, with immigration almost entirely offsetting a shrinking number of births, while life expectancy continues to rise, national statistics agency ISTAT said on Tuesday. Preliminary data showed the ​resident population stood at 58.94 million on January 1 this year, virtually ​unchanged from a year earlier, ISTAT said in its annual ⁠demographic report.

Digital Convergence Initiative (April 2026) This report examines the barriers and enablers of digital interoperability aimed at enhancing the cross-border portability of social security entitlements across contributory schemes that address key life-cycle risks.

wider.unu.edu (2026) South Africa has a relatively well-developed social protection system for a middle-income country. Despite its roots in the country’s racially discriminatory past, the system has been repurposed post-apartheid to address deep poverty and severe inequality. This paper explores key characteristics of the current social protection system, highlighting its large scale and reach. Given high unemployment, the scope of social insurance is relatively limited and the social protection system is largely geared towards social assistance.

jls-consulting.org (19.03.2026) On 29 February 2024, Zambia declared a national disaster. The El Niño-induced drought had pushed over 9 million people into deepening insecurity across 84 districts. One of the drought’s policy lessons was not only that households needed more support, but that support had to move across sectors faster than the system was designed to do.

Chinadaily.com.cn (26.03.2026) China has formally launched a national long-term care insurance program after a decade of pilot programs, establishing what it calls a "sixth pillar" of social security to ease the burden on families caring for a rapidly aging population. The framework, issued in a joint guideline by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, sets a three-year target to build a unified system covering the entire population, regardless of employment status. It follows pilot programs that have covered more than 3.3 million disabled