December 2022
29Dec

India. PFRDA proposes bringing gig workers into pension fold

India's pension fund regulator has recommended the federal government introduce a UK-like pension scheme for the country's gig workers, a move aimed at bringing about 90% of the overall workforce into the pension fold, its chairman told Reuters. The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), which manages over $102 billion in assets, has proposed that workers at food and cab aggregators be automatically enrolled into the National Pension Scheme (NPS), Chairman Supratim Bandyopadhyay said in an interview on Tuesday. The...

December 29, 2022
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08Dec

The Underpensioned Index 2022 Edition

By The Pensions Policy Institute This report, the third in the series, provides an updated version of the Index, alongside recent data illustrating changes, particularly in the labour market and pension saving, that have been experienced by underpensioned groups since the first Index. Recognising that the current economic landscape is challenging, some of these changes may reflect current circumstances rather than long-term trends, and some of the policies that may be suggested as potential remedies to the underpensioned challenge may not be appropriate to enact during the...

December 8, 2022
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08Dec

Platforms Disrupting Reputation: Precarity and Recognition Struggles In The Remote Gig Economy

By Alex Wood & Vili Lehdonvirta Digitalisation and the use of algorithms have raised concerns over the future of work, the gig economy being identified by some as particularly concerning. In this article, we draw on 70 interviews in addition to participant observations to highlight the role of gig economy platforms in producing a novel form of reputational insecurity. This insecurity is generated by platforms disrupting the traditional operation of industry reputation in freelance markets. We highlight three areas of transformation...

December 8, 2022
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07Dec

UK. More than 8.6mn missing out on workplace pension savings

More than 8.6mn people from “underpensioned” groups are missing out on workplace pension savings, according to a report by Now Pensions. The report, published on December 7 in collaboration with the Pensions Policy Institute, found a number of common factors within these groups that are causing barriers to saving, including non-traditional work patterns, a lower percentage of homeownership, and being impacted by inequalities in the labour market. People from underpensioned groups – including ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, carers and single...

December 7, 2022
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02Dec

From Financial Development to Informality: A Causal Link

By Salvatore Capasso, Franziska Ohnsorge & Shu Yu Financial development reduces the cost of accessing external financing and thus incentivizes investment in higher-productivity projects that allow firms to expand to the scale needed to operate in the formal economy. It also encourages participants of the informal sector to join the formal sector to gain access to credit and financial services. This paper documents two findings. First, countries with less pervasive informality are associated with greater financial development. Second, the impact...

December 2, 2022
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November 2022
23Nov

Poor policy is failing the elderly in India’s unorganised sector

‘India has the world’s largest young workforce’ is an oft-repeated adage attached to the demographic dividend of the country. The immense excitement for the potential of India’s youth has seemingly overshadowed the fact that, given the nation’s falling mortality rate, its population is rapidly getting old. The recent Youth in India 2022 report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has recognised this shifting demographic phenomenon. According to the report, the youth population (aged 15–29 years) is expected...

November 23, 2022
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11Nov

Future-Proof Work? The Experiences of Gig Economy Workers in the Philippines

By Christopher Ed Caboverde & John Paul Flaminiano The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruptions in the job market. This also puts the "gig economy" in the spotlight since many workers are seeing it as a viable career option, and are considering leaving their 9-to-5 jobs to pursue a career there. Even before the pandemic, the gig economy forms a significant portion of the workforce in different countries. This paper aims to understand the journey and experiences of location-dependent and purely...

November 11, 2022
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10Nov

Over 84,000 Nigerians enrolled in micro pension plan –PENCOM

The National Pension Commission (PenCom), yesterday revealed that over 84,000 Nigerians have enrolled in the ongoing Micro Pension plan. This was even as the Commission reiterated that it will continue to embark on massive awareness to ensure more Nigerians key into the initiative. The Head, Micro Pensions Department at PenCom, Dauda Ahmed, disclosed this to newsmen at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Ahmed noted that the commission has had interactions with would-be-...

November 10, 2022
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October 2022
28Oct

Intergenerational Solidarity

By Alan Gutterman Aging is a natural progression of the life cycle and society will always have persons of different ages who need to learn to live alongside one another. One of the most consistent themes in the debate regarding the realization of the human rights of older persons is the need to strengthen “intergenerational solidarity” between and among all levels of families, communities and nations in order to achieve social cohesion and a society for all ages and build...

October 28, 2022
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21Oct

Mercer index highlights challenges facing pensions

Withdrawals from pensions during the pandemic will have a long-term impact on the potential growth of retirement sums, according to Mercer. Pensions in Asia and globally have improvements to be made, particularly as pensions systems shift from a defined benefits to defined contributions scheme and withdrawals during the pandemic are likely to have long-term effects, Mercer representatives said. Several challenges stand in the way of ensuring the adequacy of retirement incomes, said Mathias Cormann, secretary general of the Organisation for Economic...

October 21, 2022
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