Dialogue on Social Security – national reforms and global challenges

At the invitation of Chinese Association of Social Security (CAoSS) and its president Prof. Zheng Gongcheng, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), FES Beijing contributed to the 18th International Forum on Social Security. The theme of this year’s two days conference, which was hosted by the Sun-Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, was “Social Security and sustainable socio-economic development”. In Beijing CAoSS and FES Beijing directly afterwards jointly organized a seminar on “Challenges for Social Security from a global perspective.”

In turbulent times – after more than three years of pandemic; more than two years of war in Europe and conflicts in other places around the globe - Social Security and the Welfare State have gained even more importance in the 21st century for; social cohesion, for social justice, to increase the sense of security and to guarantee conditions of a good human life.

However, social security systems around the globe are under pressure due to the mentioned global crises and structural challenges in many countries like; low birth rates, aging societies as well as an increasingly unfavorable ratio of the retired versus the economically active population. On the heels of the mentioned challenges has been a trend in recent years of slowing globalization and a rapid as well as disruptive technological transformation, that is altering the present and future nature of work in ways that offer a multitude of opportunities but also add new levels of risks.

During the pandemic, the job market has become even more challenging -particular for the youth - with many people suffering; unemployment, job and salary cuts. Again, women are particularly hit hard by the pandemic in terms of fair distribution, since the pandemic and related social restrictions has also led to the re-traditionalization of home and care work division. Governments are therefore even more responsible for a more inclusive, just, sustainable, innovative and resilient system, affordable education/qualification as well as sufficient quality employment.

And at the same time the effect of new forms of work remains undeniable: decreasing payments into social security funds. Fewer traditional employees with compulsory social insurance pose a challenge to the sustainability of social security systems. During the exchanges in three cities in China experts from China, Japan, South-Korea as well as from European countries therefore discussed how to adjust and restructure social protection against the emergence of new forms of work and what kind of new instruments of social protection are needed. For instance, how work injuries insurance for delivery riders could be guaranteed. And against the background of an aging population how the financial sustainability of long-term care insurance can be made possible.

During the days of this Chinese/Asian/European expert exchange, an increase in the retirement age for China´s aging population was decided at the meetings of the National People's Congress, which Prof. Zheng also attended by rotating between the NPC meetings and the international expert exchange.

Related Links

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kPa1WvZ7Ad4PtIvnig1o9Q

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/QK-w_ETwqfS4xMXD0-ClvQ