wtwco.com (24.09.2024) With fertility rates among the lowest in the world, South Korea looks to jumpstart more births by boosting paid parental leave benefits and childcare entitlements.

reuters (24.09.2024) China's move to raise retirement ages is a starting point to plug gaping pension deficits and bolster a shrinking workforce but more pain lies ahead as the economy slows, making further reforms urgent, say economists and demographers. Aging populations are a global phenomenon, but the issue is particularly stark in China due to the legacy of its one-child-policy, which was in place for three decades and has exacerbated its demographic challenges.

ipe.com 817.09.2024) Pension funds should report annually about the progress they make in meeting their CO2 reduction targets. They must also provide more insight into their sustainable investments, Dutch pension regulator DNB announced on its website.

ullekhnp.com (20.09.2024) The latest announcement from the Union labour ministry is that it has asked technology-based platforms and aggregators to get all gig workers engaged by them to register on the e-Shram portal, a centralised database of informal workers, where they can avail of health insurance and other facilities, including unemploy­ment benefits, maternity benefits, and accident injury coverage through the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). As of now, gig workers are eligible only for minimum social-security benefits.

IZA - Institute of Labor Economics (August 2024) The distribution of parental leave uptake and childcare activities continues to conform to traditional gender roles. In 2002, with the goal of increasing gender equality, Sweden added a second "daddy month," i.e., an additional month of pay-related parental leave reserved exclusively for each parent. This policy increased men's parental leave uptake and decreased women's, thereby increasing men's share.

oecd (13.09.2024) Les dépenses sociales publiques ont triplé en 60 ans, atteignant 21 % du PIB en 2022, mais avec des variations significatives entre les pays de l'OCDE. Cette hausse à long terme est liée au développement des États-providence, au vieillissement de la population et à une succession de chocs économiques qui ont entraîné des augmentations progressives des ratios de dépenses sociales par rapport au PIB, dont ils ne se sont que partiellement remis.

worldbank.org (12.09,2024) Providing care for older parents or parents-in-law significantly reduces the probability of employment and annual earnings, particularly among women and intensive caregivers, which remains the most prevalent form of long-term care (LTC) for older adults. Addressing the growing care needs of older adults requires increasing coordination, integration, and capacity building within the health and long-term care systems. Engaging the private sector can help bridge the gap between supply and demand of LTC.

ilo.org (01.04.2024) This brief presents the role of universal social protection in securing access to long-term care (LTC). Effective LTC financing strategies include dedicated schemes, top-up pension benefits, expansion of disability benefits, and integration within social health protection packages. Defining a comprehensive benefits package and ensuring financial protection are crucial, with international standards recommending minimal copayments to avoid hardship. High out-of-pocket payments can impoverish older adults and erode insufficient pensions.

Xinhua (13.09.2024) Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a decision on gradually raising the statutory retirement age in the country, marking the first adjustment in the arrangement since 1950s. According to the decision adopted at the 11th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress, the statutory retirement age for men will be gradually raised from 60 to 63 in the course of 15 years starting 2025, while that for women cadres and women blue-collar workers will be raised from 55 to 58 and from 50 to 55, respectively.

International Labour Organization (12.09.2024) Governments must do more to utilize universal social protection to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change and achieve a just transition, according to a new ILO report.