The size of the global international private medical insurance (iPMI) market will reach an estimated US$17bn (£12.7bn) by the end of 2020, according to iPMI advisers from the McGrigor Group. McGrigor’s research reveals that Cigna in particular is number one in global iPMI, ever since its acquisition of Vanbreda in 2012, and advisers see the big regional winners as Sub Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. They noted that countries

Since the beginning of the 2019-2020 COVID-19 pandemic, a great wealth of information has been made available to the general public as well as to human resources professionals. GBV has no particular expertise in epidemiology, the treatment of people affected by COVID-19, or the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic, and therefore refrains from adding to the noise component of what is now on offer. Nevertheless, the editorial team here

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in February 2020 released its list of the top five risks to the global economy in 2020: The likelihood of at least one of these five possible events occurring in 2020 is … 69%.   The EIU report can be downloaded from this page (contact information required). The company is the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, the sister company to The

OECD’s new report, Pension Markets in Focus 2019, shows that despite a decline of pension assets in the OECD area and internationally in 2017/18, over the last decade, however, pension assets have increased in nominal terms in almost all reporting countries. This can be attributed to an increase in the proportion of working-age coverage, which was strong in countries such as Israel, Latvia, Bulgaria, Colombia, North Macedonia, and New

Aetna’s new report, The Business of health 2020 – Tackling polarised perceptions of corporate health and wellness, looks at how technology can positively impact employee mental ill health and lifestyle-related health conditions in an increasingly blurred work-life balance in the workplace. The report was published in January 2020. With wellbeing now being broader in scope than previously understood, it has come to include physical and emotional health, financial security, social

Airmic’s report, Managing Risk−The Human Factor, sheds light on the “unprecedented volatility with regards to people risk” and stresses the importance of HR, benefits, and risk professionals working together more closely. The report published in December 2019 in association with Arthur D. Little, Willis Towers Watson and Zurich, positions people risk around the people themselves instead of creating newer categories. This allows a view where risks which may have

The OECD in December 2019 published updated versions of the 2019 series of its E.U. Country Health Profiles. The profiles provide a concise overview of health and health systems in the EU/European Economic area, emphasizing the particular characteristics and challenges in each country against a backdrop of cross-country comparisons. Each Country Health Profile provides a short summary of: Health status Risk factors The organization of the health system Its

Published in December 2019, Neyber’s report, the DNA of Financial Wellbeing, which has surveyed over 42,000 people since 2016 suggests that absence, productivity and turnover of staff costs UK employers over £15.2 billion per annum. The report shows that employees’ financial woes are indeed a burden on employers as their spending habits (and results thereof) are a direct contributor to lost revenue at firms. With this report looking at

Randstad’s WorkMonitor report for Q4 2019 was released in December 2019 with a look into work-life balance and the economic and financial outlook for 2020 and shows some interesting results. The survey covers trends across the globe in the mobility, job satisfaction, and motivation in 34 countries around the globe. Work-Life Balance Highlights of the report include the inevitability of technology creeping into our lives more and more: Workers

  Standard Setting Bodies and Professional Federations The European Commission: ec.europa.eu/internal_market/insurance/solvency/index_en.htm European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA): eueiopa.europa.eu National Association of Insurance Commissioners, USA (NAIC): content.naic.org/ International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS): www.iaisweb.org The European Federation of (Re)Insurers: www.insuranceeurope.eu The European Federation of Risk Management Associations: www.ferma.eu The Association of Reinsurance Professionals in France: www.apref.org Regulators and Control Authorities Belgium: www.nbb.be France: acpr.banque-france.fr/lacpr.html Guernsey: www.gfsc.gg/ Ireland: www.centralbank.ie Italy:

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in November 2019 announced its selection of INTERVENT International as global provider of a suite of designated digital behavior change and population health management solutions. The partnership enhances Maxis GBN’s global solutions for the prevention and management of multiple chronic diseases, disability condition management, maternity care, and other drivers of health-related medical costs. As part of the collaboration, multinational employers working with MAXIS

The OECD in November 2019 released its annual Health at a Glance report for 2019. It provides the latest comparable data and trends on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries, while providing striking evidence of large variations across countries in indicators of health status and health risks, as well as in the inputs and outputs of health systems. Gains in longevity are stalling, with

Obesity-related diseases will claim more than 90 million lives in OECD countries in the next 30 years, with life expectancy reduced by nearly 3 years. Obesity and its related conditions also reduce GDP by 3.3% in OECD countries and exact a heavy toll on personal budgets, amounting to USD 360 per capita per year, according to a new OECD report published in November 2019. The OECD’s The Heavy Burden

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released its latest Global Investment Trend Monitor as of October 2019. Report highlights include: Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in the first half of 2019 were 24% higher than in the first half of 2018. However, the underlying FDI trend (removing the effects of one-off transactions and intra-firm financial flows, including repatriations driven by the 2017 US tax reforms)

Health expenditures will outpace GDP growth over the next 15 years in almost every OECD country, according to the OECD’s Health at a Glance 2019 report, published in November 2019. The OECD foresees that health spending per capita will grow at an average annual rate of 2.7% across OECD countries and will reach 10.2% of GDP by 2030, up from 8.8% in 2018. The report notes that the United

Published in November 2019, the OECD’s Pensions at a Glance 2019 report advises governments to urgently reform their pension systems to allow for the one-third of employees who are now in non-standard employment (self-employed, temporary or part-time employment) to have adequate retirement income. With women being three times more likely to be in part-time work, and the older workforce more likely to be self-employed, it has become a necessity: non-standard

A U.S. national survey conducted in September 2019 has been published by the Milbank Memorial Fund, and addresses the ‘culture of health’ (CoH) in private sector organisations. Authors Michael Anne Kyle, Lumumba Seegars, John M. Benson, Robert J. Blendon, Robert S. Huckman, Sara J. Singer measured corporate CoH along four dimensions that assess the extent to which businesses promote employee, environmental, consumer, and community health and well-being. Policy Points

Aetna report shows differing perceptions among employers and employees globally There is a major gulf between how employers view the health and wellness support offered and employees’ views of the support they receive. This could have a significant impact on productivity, according to research from Aetna International published in November 2019. The first of two Business of Health 2020 reports, Tackling polarised perceptions of corporate health and wellness, investigates

Does pay parity equal gender equality? New research commissioned by MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) and published in October 2019 reveals that two-thirds of global workers think men and women are in a position of gender equality if they are paid the same. The research involved employees in ten different countries including the UK, US, Germany, Japan and Australia. The United Nations, however, states that the issue goes

The Future of Work addresses megatrends transforming the labor market The 2019 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook released in October 2019 takes a look at new evidence of changes in job stability, underemployment, and the share of well-paid jobs globally, and discusses how policy creates implications with respect to how technology, globalization, population ageing, and other megatrends are transforming the labor market in OECD countries. The report discusses

Global immigration services firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy (Fragomen) in October 2019 released the 2019 edition of its Worldwide Immigration Trends Report. Among the key takeaways of the report that covers Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America: Migration has fueled a resurgence of nationalist political movements and anti-immigration policies. Many countries will continue to struggle to develop the technology necessary to

Aon in August 2019 issued a white paper entitled Prevention is Better Than Cure, which addresses the growing awareness of employee wellbeing. The paper encourages employers to understand the business rationale behind employee wellbeing in order to help gain best outcomes. The Aon white paper shows that 95% of employers see a correlation between employee health and performance, and believe they have a role in trying to educate and

The Randstad Workmonitor Global Report has been released for Q3, 2019, revealing the latest local and global trends in mobility over time. The report shows data relating to migration, diversity, job satisfaction, and job change appetite, as well as personal motivation based on a rotating set of themed questions. Some highlights of the report include data that shows: 64% of respondents would consider emigrating if they can improve their

The Washington, D.C.-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in September 2019 published a working paper, The Impact of Brexit on UK Firms, authored by Nicholas Bloom, Philip Bunn, Scarlet Chen, Paul Mizen, Pawel Smietanka, and Gregory Thwaites. The authors identify three key results from a survey of UK firms, the Decision Maker Panel. According to the abstract of the 59-page article: “First, the UK’s decision to leave the

Global insurance premiums passed the USD 5 trillion mark for the first time in 2018, equivalent to more than 6% of world gross domestic product (GDP) according to the July 2019 issue of sigma, “World insurance: the great pivot east continues”, from Swiss Re Institute. This surge was based on solid growth in the non-life sector, especially in China and other emerging Asian countries, as well as in advanced

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in June 2019 released the 2019 World Investment Report, which analyses global and regional foreign direct investment trends and prospects. It also documents national and international investment policy developments. In its theme chapter, the 2019 Report provides the global landscape of special economic zones (SEZs) and offers a policy framework for addressing key emerging challenges. The report highlights: Global foreign

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for the United States was released in June 2019, indicating a decline from the previous month of May. The Index now stands at 121.5 (1985=100), down from 131.3 in May. The Present Situation Index, based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, decreased from 170.7 to 162.6, while the Expectations Index, which is based on the short-term consumer outlook for income,