There is a lot of talk at the moment about Spanish pensions. But, it would appear, not enough. At least it is by no means clear that public opinion and voters are very aware of what is about to land on top of them: that in 2017 the pension piggy bank will be empty. And what will happen then?
If demographics fail, the economy doesn’t grow and employment stagnates, then there is no difference at all between the pay-as-you go system (Spain’s current state pension system) and the capitalisation scheme (put forward as a miraculous solution, now used in private pension schemes), says expert Niko Garnier.
Spain’s pensions ‘nest egg’ is bleeding cash. Figures show this. But when included in a ranking which compares it with other countries, then the result is even worse. The Social Security’s Reserve Fund has gone from 67th place in the world ranking of pension funds by volume of assets to not even being in the top 100, explains BS Markets.
Judging by the incessant comments these days from all kinds of financial experts and even independent voices, one of the best solutions for Spaniards in the face of the country’s serious pension system crisis is to sign up to a private pension plan. In reality, no-one has any doubt that the public pensions system will not be able to meet its commitment to providing a decent pension for future retirees, in line with their expectations. That said, are private pension plans the solution?
The Social Security’s pensions fund is emptying. And this is causing huge alarm amongst current and future pensioners who believe, incorrectly, that “there’s going to be no money left and one day they’ll tell us that there is no monthly payment.”
For some months now, social security contributions have been insufficient to pay for pensions, and it doesn’t look like the recovery in the economic cycle will correct the problem. Faced with a problem of these dimensions, the political parties have come up with various alternatives.
A group of top international experts recently gathered in Madrid to analyse a problem politicians do not want to talk about as they are afraid of losing votes: are we facing a global pensions’ crisis.
LONDON | June 10, 2015 | By Antonio Garcia Pascual and Nikolaos Sgouropoulos (Barclays) | We think there are at least two critical issues outstanding: 1) agreeing on credible fiscal measures to achieve a primary surplus of c. 1% of GDP; and 2) fast-track pension reforms to reduce costs and increase the effective retirement age (currently 59).
NEW YORK | By Robert Johnson via Next New Deal | The pensions crisis has far-reaching implications for the future of the U.S. economy: the state and local government sector is about 14 percent of the American workforce. What broke the system, and how do we fix it? Beyond the economic crisis, which put enormous pressure on state and municipal budgets, poor decision-making and the influence of big money interests has led to the underfunding of some state and city public pensions.
MADRID | By Tania Suárez | The Spanish Economic and Social Council (ESC) recently received the Government’s draft of the public pension system reform, which is causing lots of controversy since many retirees may lose their only income. In that sense, a group of Spanish economists and jurists have signed a manifesto to explain why the reform is not such a good idea.