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September 2024

China. Lawmakers review plan to raise retirement age in fast-greying China

China's top legislative body this week assessed an official plan to delay the country's retirement age, among the world's lowest, taking a key step towards changing decades-old labour laws and easing economic pressures stemming from a shrinking workforce. The ruling Communist Party said in July that China would gradually raise the country's retirement age. The retirement age is now 60 for men, about six years below that in most developed economies, while for women in white-collar work it is 55, and 50...

US. Pressure Mounts on Public Pension Funds to Divest Chinese Investments

As the world revisits decades of globalization and diminishes the interdependence and integration of the world’s economies, and as interests of China and its allies become less aligned with the interests of the U.S., Europe and their blocs, many institutional investors are caught between generating alpha and legislators who want their states’ funds to be completely divested from the world’s second-largest economy. Geopolitical worries have led legislators in several states to mandate that their state pension funds divest from Chinese...

China. More benefits could be doled out to incentivize couples to have more babies

Many countries in the world now face a shrinking, and simultaneously aging, population, which, if not promptly reversed or mitigated, could negatively impact the sustainable growth of their economies. A sufficient number of people is indispensable for running and reinforcing the operation of a functioning economy. Consequently, policymakers or relevant government authorities need to take note of the evolution of the ongoing changes of demographic patterns, and readjust and optimize their population policies so as to plan for a resilient...

August 2024

Gig economy is failing workers and needs urgent reform

In the recently released Chinese film Upstream, middle-aged lead Gao Zhilei, played by Xu Zheng, signs up as a food delivery driver to support his family after losing his white-collar job. Gao’s predicament is mirrored across the global working landscape where gig work has become a cost-effective way to fill temporary positions. The bulk of the work is in the food delivery, ride-hailing and home service sectors – a result of the emergence of app-driven, platform business models. But areas such as information...

China pilots housing pension system to enhance people’s living quality

China is piloting a housing pension system in 22 cities including Shanghai, which aims to better facilitate existing housing upgrade and enhance people's housing quality and living environment, the China Securities Journal has reported. In China, home buyers have been paying a "housing maintenance fund" since 1998, which covers maintenance on residential buildings. However, just like humans, housing can get old and sick. By the end of 2022, the proportion of homes in urban areas that were built over 30 years...

China plans ‘bigger, stronger’ social security fund to aid ageing society

China will beef up its 2.88 trillion yuan ($406 billion) social security fund, making it "bigger and stronger" to help support its rapidly ageing population as the number of new births and younger workforce to support its seniors shrinks. The National Social Security Fund will "effectively" respond to population ageing and "improve the policy mechanism for the development of the elderly care industry," the fund's party secretary Ding Xuedong said in comments made in Communist Party newspaper, the Study Times...

Over 64% Agree: Raising Retirement Age Will Affect China’s Workforce

China’s recent announcement to gradually raise its statutory retirement age over the next five years has sparked widespread public interest. This move, aimed at addressing the challenges posed by an aging population and a stressed pension system, has garnered mixed reactions across the country. Real Research, an online survey app, conducted a survey on China raising retirement age to gauge public awareness and sentiment regarding this significant policy shift. Key Findings 57.44% believe that the current retirement age in China is...

These are the countries with the lowest retirement ages in the world

China has made headlines by announcing it intends to raise its retirement age, which has long been the lowest in the world. Australia may not be one of them, but some countries around the world still have incredibly low retirement ages. Interestingly, several have different age specifications for men and women, Read on to see the nations with some of the lowest retirement ages in the world. Australia For reference, Australia has one of the highest retirement ages in the world, at age 67.France Last...

China plans to raise retirement age. Could it happen in Canada?

China is the latest in a slew of countries planning to gradually raise the statutory retirement age as an aging world population is forcing governments to reform their pension plans. Delaying retirement also “makes sense” and could have “a lot of benefits” in other countries, including Canada as the country grapples with labour shortages and a record low fertility rate, experts say. But could it happen? There is no mandated retirement age in Canada, but the standard age to start receiving public pensions is...

July 2024

U.S. states are ordering their pension funds to sell their China investments

As state treasurer, Vivek Malek pushed Missouri’s main retirement system to pull its investments from Chinese companies, making Missouri among the first nationally to do so. Now Malek is touting the Chinese divestment as he seeks reelection in an Aug. 6 Republican primary against challengers who also are denouncing financial connections to China. The Missouri treasurer’s race highlights a new facet of opposition to China, which has been cast as a top threat to the U.S. by many candidates seeking...