Employers will play a critical role in shaping public policy and addressing concerns about global aging, says a new report on retirement and health care financing.
Mercer, a consulting business of Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., New York, joined with the World Economic Forum, Geneva, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, to recommend strategies that governments and employers can use in these areas.
Among Mercer's findings are the following:
–Constructive discussions between governments and employers may create successes for both sides. Both employers and governments can create programs promoting work for older people, providing financial education, improving processes for savings or improving annuities to make the exchange of lump-sum payouts more effective.
–Employers can collaborate with financial service firms and health care providers to provide such initiatives as multinational pooling for life insurance and multinational management of health care arrangements.
