November 2021

Uganda government shoulders more burden as Makerere University pension scheme expands

The government of Uganda is facing an additional financial burden of at least Ush60 million ($16,751) annually to cater for the expanded Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme that was approved by the Ministry of Finance. The Finance ministry remits 10 percent of an employee’s gross salary to the scheme, as employer contributions, and employees contribute five per cent of their gross salary. An expansion in the scheme’s membership directly leads to an increase in government’s costs in the short term....

October 2021

Israel’s Holocaust survivors to be supplemented NIS 20 million

The government has secured an extra NIS 20 million in annual payments for Holocaust survivors living in Israel following negotiations with the German Finance Ministry. The cabinet approved the agreement on Sunday. Some 3,700 Holocaust survivors who receive pensions from the German government will be eligible for the increased payments. The negotiations were conducted by the Social Equality and Pensioners Ministry and the Authority for the Rights of Holocaust Survivors. All those eligible for German pensions will receive an extra €100...

‘We are worried!’ Number of EU citizens claiming benefits doubled during pandemic

The number of EU citizens claiming benefits has doubled during the pandemic, with around 780,000 EU citizens receiving working-age benefits, according to new data from the Department for Work and Pensions. In comparison, the figure stood at just 380,000 in November 2019. Claims from migrants from some nations that acceded into the Brussels bloc in 2004 and 2007 stood even higher than the overall average. Claims from Romania and Bulgaria more than trebled - taking the figure from 66,00 to 190,000 among...

They Fought Apartheid in South Africa. Now They Want Veterans’ Benefits.

Lesley Kgogo was 17 years old when he traded a school uniform for military fatigues and joined the armed wing of the African National Congress in the fight to overthrow the apartheid regime in South Africa. He was among thousands who trained and slept in bush camps in other countries and then returned to join the insurgency that ultimately helped to topple the repressive white-minority government. Read also South Africa. Millennials hardest hit financially in 2020, study shows More than 40 years...

Puerto Rico board agrees to remove pension cuts from debt plan

Puerto Rico's financial oversight board has agreed to remove proposed public employee pension cuts from a plan to restructure the island's debt, a major concession from the panel that aims to get commonwealth lawmakers to approve new restructuring bonds and lift the island out of bankruptcy. Read also South Africa: A New Social Assistance Assessment Aims to Help Strengthen Policies and Programs for the Poor The board included a 8.5% reduction to some pension benefits in the debt adjustment plan that...

Global Public Pensions 2020

By OMFIF The inaugural edition of Global Public Pensions, sponsored by Citi and Capital Group, builds on the seven-year track record of OMFIF’s benchmark Global Public Investor annual report and aggregates the portfolios of 100 leading global public pension funds. In total, global public pensions have more than $17tn of assets under management – more than twice as much as sovereign wealth funds, according to OMFIF research. This new report captures 77% of those investable assets. The research reveals that: Public pensions are...

US. Milliman analysis: Corporate pension funded ratio holds steady at 97.3% in September

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today released the results of its latest Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index (PFI), which analyzes the 100 largest U.S. corporate pension plans. A rise in discount rates during September countered a 1.68% investment loss for corporate pensions, leaving the funded status of the Milliman 100 PFI nearly flat for the month. The market value of assets declined by $38 billion while the monthly discount rate climbed from 2.65% in August to...

September 2021

Reforming Public Sector Pensions: Solutions to a growing challenge

By Institute of Economic Affairs Submitter In its final report the Public Sector Pensions Commission finds that the true value of the main unfunded public sector pension schemes is over 40 per cent of salary. The report also finds that a lack of transparency over the true costs of public sector pensions has made it easier to delay reform in the past. Without more transparency, the true costs are unreasonably forced onto future taxpayers. Source: SSRN 368 views

Jamaica. The nation is facing a retirement crisis

A social pension is a non-contributory cash income that is given by the Government to the elderly. In July of this year, the Jamaican Government launched an $800,000,000 social pension geared at providing guaranteed income to senior citizens 75 years and older who don't have retirement income or disability benefits. Recipients are entitled to a monthly payout of $3,400. But, can this paltry sum suffice in an economy of rising prices? The nation is indeed facing a retirement crisis. With...

Zimbabwe: Nssa to Increase Pension Payouts

National Social Security Authority (NSAA) is set to review pension payouts by between 25 and 30 percent with effect from October 1, 2021, in line with the roadmap of periodic reviews announced by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima. The minister made the pledge to periodically review payouts during engagements with pensioners' representatives in the first half of the year. Pensioners under the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme (POBS), had their pay-outs reviewed by 30 percent, subject...