May 2022
30May

India. Donate-a-pension retirement plan finds few takers

The government's Donate-a-Pension initiative to build up a retirement kitty for unorganised workers, including domestic helps, has failed to garner enough responses. The number of beneficiaries enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) scheme has slowed considerably in fiscal year 2022-23, strengthening the case for a major revamp of the initiative. Only 14,518 unorganised workers enrolled under the scheme between April 1 and May 25, government data showed, bringing average enrolment in a month to a little over 7,000....

May 30, 2022
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25May

Canada. How employers can design health benefits, retirement plans for gig workers

Whether they’re delivering takeout, chauffeuring passengers, or fixing leaky sinks, most gig workers in Canada don’t get benefits. Classified as independent contractors rather than employees, they’re excluded from employer contributions to Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance, they may not be protected under worker’s compensation and they can’t participate in tax-advantaged benefits programs like registered pension plans and employee life and health trusts. Read: Uber Canada sharing details of self-directed benefits fund for gig workers So even if an employer offered dental...

May 25, 2022
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24May

Ghana. 4 Bodies Collaborate To Give Drivers Pension & Insurance Package

Westom Insurance Brokers in collaboration with People's Pension Trust (PPT), Prudential life Insurance and Premier Health Insurance has launched a pension and an insurance package for members of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU). Known as the ‘Anidaso Plan’, the package offers three in one Pension/Life insurance/Health Insurance plan to members. It also covers the principal’s immediate dependents, that is, spouse and children. The ‘Anidaso Plan’ is a comprehensive pension and insurance package that has been specially designed to offer...

May 24, 2022
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17May

Vice president commits to “significantly increase number of Ghanians in pension schemes”.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said a well-regulated and functioning pension system is a major driver for investment and development of the country. Read also Arab Pensions Conference grows into key regional platform Together with the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and all stakeholders, Dr Bawumia said they will work together to accelerate the pace of pension acceptance through the use of digitalization, but to focus on designing and rolling out tailored pension schemes for the informal sector, such as...

May 17, 2022
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10May

Kenya. Reform laws on pensions to spur growth in savings

Whilst the Kenyan pension sector is the biggest in the region, we are yet to exploit its full potential as the penetration rate remains just about 20 per cent of the working class in both formal and informal sectors. Apart from the mention of the registration of The Kenya National Entrepreneurs Savings Trust (KNEST) during the 2022/2023 budget, a government-backed pension scheme for informal workers, there were no other proposals directed towards accelerating the development of the pension sector. There is...

May 10, 2022
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April 2022
25Apr

Ghana. Steady rise recorded in life expectancy of SSNIT contributors

Regardless of the widely held notion on decreasing life expectancy among Ghanaians, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says its statistics indicated a reverse of the widely held misconception. It said longevity on the pension’s payroll indicates a steady rise in life expectancy of contributors aged 72 from eight per cent in 2002 to 18 per cent in 2010 and 25 per cent in 2020. Likewise, the percentage of contributors aged 80, rose from one per cent in 2002...

April 25, 2022
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Labor Marcket Search, Informality, and Schooling Investmets
14Apr

Labor Market Search, Informality, and Schooling Investmets

By Matteo Bobba, Luca Flabbi & Santiago Levy We develop a search and matching model where jobs can be formal or informal. Workers choose schooling and search for jobs. Firms post vacancies in each schooling market and decide the job's formality status. Upon meeting, workers and firms bargain over wages. The equilibrium size of the informal sector is an endogenous function of labor market fundamentals and institutions. We estimate the model using labor force survey data from Mexico and exploiting the...

April 14, 2022
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13Apr

Pinbox gets seed capital from ADB Ventures to expand micro pension coverage in India

ADB Ventures, a platform of Asian Development Bank, has provided seed funding to Pinbox for expanding micro pension coverage in India. Read also Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity Pinbox works to address friction and accessibility challenges in delivering micro pension and insurance solutions to underserved informal sector workers, ADB Ventures said in a statement. It provides a ready-to-deploy micro pension technology platform globally to governments and regulators who are seeking to expand pension and insurance coverage .. Read also Australia....

April 13, 2022
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04Apr

Ghana. NPRA embarks on pension education for informal sector workers

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) as part of its quest to improve informal pension coverage in Ghana has embarked on an outreach programme in Oti Region to create awareness of pensions. The Head of Corporate Affairs, Nana SifaTwum, told the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Wednesday, that the move is to educate and sensitise both formal and informal sector workers on pension matters. He said the outreach programme which would begin on Monday, April 4 and ends on Friday, April...

April 4, 2022
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March 2022
31Mar

UK. Flexi-retirement increasingly common due to gig economy

Flexi-retirement is becoming increasingly common, as more and more retirees are opting to work part-time in the gig economy. According to a new report from Abrdn, two thirds of people retiring in 2022 do not plan on giving up work completely. This compares to just over half of those who retired in 2021 and a third of 2020 retirees. The report, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults, reveals how the “class of 2022” plan to spend their and money in retirement. A quarter said...

March 31, 2022
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