Published_SS_Monitor

US: Lack of a retirement system for gig workers will be a crisis

Submitted by pmassetti on
postandcourier.com (29.09.2025) America is fast approaching a historic milestone. By 2027, freelancers will make up more than 50 percent of the workforce, marking a fundamental shift in the U.S. labor market. Yet many of these workers will have no retirement plan. According to the Pew Research Center, only 13 percent of single-person business owners are saving for retirement compared to almost three-fourths of Americans in traditional jobs.
Regions / Country
United States
Topics
Pensions
Platform workers
Document Type

Aging in the U.S. and Korea: Same Sphere, Different Realities

Submitted by pmassetti on
civilreporter.co.kr (22.09.2025) Both the United States and South Korea are experiencing rapid population aging, but the patterns and social responses differ greatly. The U.S., already moving beyond an “aged society” into a “super-aged society,” is turning this change into a field of opportunity. Korea, meanwhile, is aging at the fastest pace in the world, but its institutions and perceptions still lag behind. In particular, when we look at five areas where the U.S.
Regions / Country
korea, Republic of
United States
Global challenges
Topics
Population ageing
Document Type

Publication: Exploring the Impacts of Social Protection on Social Cohesion in the Sahel

Submitted by pmassetti on
worldbank.org (24.09.2025) In the Sahel, vulnerability, poverty, competition over natural resources, and limited economic opportunities have weakened social bonds and fueled conflict, dynamics further exacerbated by climate change. Within this context, social protection emerges as a key tool to strengthen social cohesion by fostering institutional trust, community cooperation, and the relationship between citizens and the state.
Regions / Country
Africa
Topics
Policy analysis
Document Type

China’s 200m gig workers are a warning for the world

Submitted by pmassetti on
economist.com (18.09.2025) The biggest workforce in the world has undergone an extraordinary transformation. China’s farm labourers and industrial proletariat have been joined by an army of gig workers. Tens of millions now use tech platforms to find jobs for fleeting periods; fully 200m, or 40% of the urban labour force, depend on some kind of flexible work. The fortunes of these precarious workers, many of whom struggle to buy property and gain access to public services and benefits, will shape China’s economy and society for years to come.
Regions / Country
china
Topics
Platform workers
Document Type

Accelerating the uptake of digital solutions by the health and care workforce in the WHO European Region

Submitted by pmassetti on
who.int (01.09.2025) Digital health technologies (‎DHTs)‎ are becoming an integral part of successful and sustainable health service delivery in every Member State of the WHO European Region. Despite increasing evidence of their impact in optimizing the capability of the health and care workforce, enabling access to health services, and improving patient empowerment and quality of care, the adoption of DHTs by the workforce has been slow and faces significant challenges.
Regions / Country
Europe
Global challenges
Topics
Medical care
Document Type

Setting the foundation for quality management in facility-based long-term care in Greece

Submitted by pmassetti on
who.int (28.08.2025) In support of Greece’s ongoing long-term care (‎LTC)‎ reforms, this technical brief identifies key gaps in the current quality management system for facility-based/residential care and proposes key pathways for addressing these challenges and driving transformative change in quality management. Drawing on international evidence and national and regional case studies from Europe, the brief outlines key quality standards and proposes indicators for monitoring progress.
Regions / Country
greece
Global challenges
Topics
Long-term care
Document Type

Publication: How Scale-Up Happens: Financing, Political Economy, and Delivery in Social Assistance Expansion

Submitted by pmassetti on
worldbank.org (15.09.2025) Scaling up has become a rallying cry of social protection initiatives. The rationale for it is clear: with glaring coverage gaps globally and regionally, including nearly 2 billion people with no access to social protection in low- and middle-income countries, the extension of coverage is a key priority enshrined in an array of national and global commitments. Yet relatively little work has been devoted to examining how scale up happens.
Topics
Extension of coverage
Document Type

How trade policy can help create a fairer digital economy

Submitted by pmassetti on
World Economic Forum (15.09.2025) The digital economy is transforming livelihoods at an unprecedented pace, with digital services accounting for over half of global services exports. As digital labour becomes a key export for many developing countries, questions of trade policy and standards lie alongside those about jobs. The priority should be building a digital economy that delivers innovation and growth, as well as dignity, fairness and security for workers worldwide.
Topics
Platform workers
Digital plateform workers
Document Type

Mexico’s Politics Of Pensions

Submitted by pmassetti on
eurasiareview.com (08.09.2025) Like many countries with an aging population, Mexico is facing a pension crisis. In just the last five years, the universal pension for older adults quadrupled its budget. Coupled with low growth, the ever-rising cash transfers and subsidies have become a major drag on the country’s economy. Welfare payments to individuals—such as the universal pension for older adults, disability pensions, and student stipends—have grown at a pace that outstripped investment in infrastructure, education, and security.
Regions / Country
mexico
Topics
Pensions
Document Type

Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Italy

Submitted by pmassetti on
who.int (05.09.2025) This review is part of a series of country-based studies generating new evidence on affordable access to health care (‎financial protection)‎ in health systems in Europe. Financial protection is central to universal health coverage and a core dimension of health system performance. Catastrophic health spending is higher in Italy than in many other European Union countries. It is heavily concentrated in households with low incomes, households in the southern region and households headed by pensioners.
Regions / Country
italy
Topics
Health
Document Type