This study examined the possibility of introducing a system to extend the retirement age to 65, which is necessary for increasing the low employment rate of the elderly, which is the main cause of the elderly poverty rate, and for successful reform of the national pension system, and its impact on the social welfare service industry.
For the purpose of this study, the current status of retirement system operation in Korea and foreign countries, the scale of benefits and intergenerational job substitution when introducing an extension of retirement age to 65, and the possibility of changes in the demand and supply of social welfare service industries were analyzed through various administrative statistics and surveys.
The analysis results show that, first, the retirement system is not applied to workplaces with less than 5 employees, which have many elderly workers, and although the government is operating a retirement system introduction support project, the scale of benefits is small. Second, while foreign countries have introduced work incentive policies to maintain employment rates when reforming pensions, Korea does not have any. Third, when calculating the scale of the extension of the retirement age to 65 using employment insurance statistics, it was very small compared to the number of employed people, and job substitution between generations was also found to be low. Fourth, while the change in demand for social welfare services due to the extension of the retirement age is small, there is a possibility of job creation in the social welfare service industry on the supply side. However, sustainability is decreasing due to wage increases.
The objective of this study is to lay the groundwork for policies that enhance the stability of the domestic drug supply while building the capacity to respond proactively to future public health crises. It includes a case analysis of the current state of medicine supply chains and examines policy trends in the United States and Europe aimed at strengthening the manufacturing and supply chains of medicines since the onset of COVID-19. The study concludes by proposing four prospective policy measures to improve the resilience of essential medicine production and supply.
The purpose of this study is to reorganize the elderly care system to support Aging in Place for older adults in extinction risk area. To this end, the study employed the following research methods. First, issues concerning the distribution of care resources were identified through an analysis of the population and resource status in at-risk regions. Second, existing policies supporting regions at risk of population extinction elderly care policy were analyzed. Third, FGIs with elderly care policy users and service providers were conducted to explore how care services are accessed and delivered in these regions. Fourth, domestic and international cases from regions facing or already experiencing extinction risks were analyzed. Based on these research findings, this study suggested the following policies.
The Korea Health Panel Survey(KHP) is a nationally representative survey on healthcare utilization and expenditures for the Korean population. The KHP began in 2008 and has been administered by a consortium between the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs(KIHASA) and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). The KHP provides not only information on healthcare utilization and expenditures but also insights into various factors affecting health care use, such as socioeconomic characteristics, comorbidities, and health behaviors.
This report includes descriptive statistics on comorbidities, healthcare utilization and expenditures, patient experiences, unmet healthcare needs, and health behaviors of 11,811 individuals from 5,505 households in 2022. It provides empirical evidence to better understand healthcare utilization and expenditures among the Korean population.
We examine the distinct features of welfare provision and attitudes toward welfare among Korean businesses. We consider not only the non-statutory welfare that establishments introduce but also statutory welfare costs for？operating public social security. Besides, we focus on differences in welfare provision at the establishment level and attitudes toward welfare depending on？establishment characteristics, such as the company's size, the type of industry, the composition of employees, and the labor unions.
We suggest three policy considerations. First, public social security support for vulnerable workers should be expanded to help them cope with social risks. Second, the role and responsibility of the public in supporting childcare should be strengthened. Third, efforts should be made to enhance support for small businesses. Specifically, even small businesses with a strong demand for skilled workers show a clear willingness to provide welfare. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to address the challenges of limited human and material resources in these businesses.
This study was conducted to supplement discussions on the characteristics of Korea’s ultra-low fertility rate. We focused on the possibility that the internal and external vulnerabilities of the current youth generation could negatively affect their progression to key life stages, such as marriage and childbirth. We also considered how the rapid decline in fertility rates may be linked to increasingly individual-level disparities caused by the polarization of social structures and various forms of inequality compared to older generations. Furthermore, we determined that these issues are closely related to the broader social instability currently recognized as a pressing concern in Korea.
This study aims to comprehensively examine Japan’s demographic changes and policies, providing basic data that can be used as a reference for Korea’s population policy. The main objective is to examine the current state and effectiveness of Japan’s population policies, conduct a perception survey, and derive implications for Korea’s population policy.
Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs(KIHASA) and Seoul National University (SNU) organized the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) in 2006. In 2024, the 19th wave of KOWEPS was carried out. The content of KOWEPS is composed of socioeconomic information, welfare status, and attitude toward the welfare or something for individuals and households. The particular topic for this wave is ‘The Disabled’.
This descriptive report provides a wide variety of content about the general features, the economic conditions, the employment status, social security, welfare needs and the special topics for the 19th-year surveys. The results could be reference data for the researchers who would use KOWEPS.
Population dynamics are at the center of climate change and its impact on human society. Population dynamics influence the climate system through greenhouse gas emissions resulting from growth/consumption-oriented developmental activities. On the other hand, climate change affects human societies in terms of well-being and economy. Understanding population dynamics is thus fundamental to future climate change prospects and vulnerability of human societies. This study explores critical issues in population and climate change and proposes future policy directions in times of global climate change.
