Indiablooms (04.02.2023) The 1st G-20 Employment Working Group concluded in Jodhpur today on a positive note with all G20 countries showing interest and commitment in constructively working towards the objective of the three priority areas of Addressing Global Skills Gaps, Gig & platform economy & social protection and Sustainable Financing of Social Security set by the Indian Presidency.

euobserver.com (19.01.2023) Self-employed or employed? This question is at the heart of the negotiations of the proposal for an EU directive on improving the conditions of platform workers.

Home-delivery riders, or Uber-style app drivers are some of those who compose a sector estimated by the EU Commission to employ more than 28 million people. The number has been growing for years, and is expected to keep rising, reaching 43 million workers in the next two years.

EURACTIV.com (02.02.2023) After months of arduous negotiations, the much-debated and politically sensitive platform workers’ file was finally approved in plenary on Thursday (2 February), with 376 in favour and 212 against. The text enshrines a legal presumption of employment for self-employed platform workers and reinforces workers’ rights and protection in the face of algorithmic management.

The Daily Star (31.01.2023) Bangladesh made a major step towards a universal pension scheme when parliament passed the Universal Pension Management Bill-2022 on January 24 with a view to bringing the country's growing elderly population under a social security system.

guardian.ng (31.01.2023) A new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2023 (WESO trends), has raised concerns about inequality and effects of the global economic slowdown on the quality of employment. It warned that if left unaddressed, the challenges facing the world of work might threaten progress towards social justice.

consilium.europa.eu (30.01.2023) Council adopts recommendation on adequate minimum income This Council recommendation aims to combat poverty and social exclusion, and to pursue high levels of employment by promoting adequate income support by means of minimum income, effective access to enabling and essential services for persons lacking sufficient resources and by fostering labour market integration of those who can work.

G20 member nations consist of 2/3rd of the global population with 80% of global economic output. In this context, deliberation on the enhancement of labour holds significant relevancy. The 1st Employment Working Group (EWG)Meeting under the Sherpa track of the G20 will be held from the 2nd to the 4th of February 2023 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The Indian presidency of G20 has a mandate of addressing priority labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced, and job-rich growth for all.

NPR (27.01.2023) To developmental economist Lant Pritchett, "population decline" is a mild way to describe what could be a global demographic crisis. "The reaction is often 'ho-hum' as the rates [of population decline] are slow and hence the issue seems small and in the future," he told NPR in an email. But the problem is not small, he said, and falling birth rates could upend economies. Last week, China reported population decline for the first time in more than 60 years, raising questions about its future economic growth. Other countries are heading towards a similar fate.

East Asia Forum (18.01.2023) China has translated its economic development into improved social welfare. China’s quest for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all while lifting 800 million people out of poverty is an example. Its experience in healthcare development provides transferrable lessons for developing countries in making progress towards UHC.

The use of telemedicine, or remote clinical consultations, was limited in most OECD countries before the COVID‑19 pandemic, held back by regulatory barriers and hesitancy from patients and providers. In early 2020, as COVID‑19 massively disrupted in-person care, governments moved quickly to promote the use of telemedicine. The number of teleconsultations skyrocketed, playing a vital role in maintaining access to care, but only partly offsetting reductions in in-person care.