Exclusive article by China's well-off network.
According to the estimation of demographers, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the last time window for China to deal with aging. To develop the silver economy and help develop and benefit the people's livelihood, the time is urgent and the task is arduous.
Population aging is an important trend of social development, and it is also China's basic national condition for a long period of time to come. At the beginning of 2024, the first executive meeting will focus on the elderly and study policies and measures to develop the silver economy and improve the well-being of the elderly. Immediately after January 15, the General Office of ** issued China's first policy document named after the "silver economy" - "Opinions on the Development of Silver Economy to Enhance the Well-being of the Elderly".
Actively responding to the aging of the population is related to the national economy and people's livelihood. As Dang Junwu, deputy director of the China Research Center on Aging, said, the introduction of the first "silver economy" policy is not only a major measure for China to cope with the profound economic transformation of a young society to an aging society, but also a new strategic direction that must be grasped to maintain sustainable macroeconomic development in the future under the background of the global economic downturn and the complex evolution of international and domestic economic contradictions.
The national economy and people's livelihood is a fixed phrase in China, which profoundly reveals the internal logic and practical approach that economic development and people's livelihood improvement are closely linked and complement each other. From January to November, the average surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas was 52%, 04 percentage points; In the first three quarters, the per capita disposable income of residents nationwide increased by 5 percent year-on-year9%, which is 07 percentage points; By the end of October, 32.98 million people had been lifted out of poverty across the country, exceeding the target of 30 million ......The data shows that in 2023, China's economy will continue to maintain a medium-high growth trend, but the improvement of people's livelihood will continue to increase. As a result, the contribution of domestic demand to economic growth has continued to increase, reaching a total of 1114%, an increase of 253 percentage points.
This is also an important symbol of the formation of a virtuous circle between China's economic development and the improvement of people's livelihood.
However, in the face of such a good situation, we still cannot be blindly optimistic. According to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2023, China's population aged 60 and above has accounted for 21 of the country's population1%。This means that China has officially entered a moderately aging society.
The challenges posed by the intensification of ageing are all-encompassing. Not only will it lead to a reduction in the labor force, lower social output, and limited innovation, but it will also increase spending on social security and health care, putting pressure on finances. At the same time, as we age, the growth of health problems will also bring challenges to the medical security system, etc. Correspondingly, after more than 10 years of development, although China's silver economy has "begun to take shape", it is still facing multiple challenges and tests such as the small number of supplied products, the low quality of supply services, and the frequent fraud of the elderly.
According to the estimation of demographers, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period is the last time window for China to deal with aging. To develop the silver economy and help develop and benefit the people's livelihood, the time is urgent and the task is arduous.
However, it is worth mentioning that the first "silver economy" policy gave a new idea, clearly proposing that in the direction of development, it is necessary to promote the coordination and integration of undertakings and industries.
1. Promote each other and achieve the effect of '1+1>2';In terms of policy guidance, it is necessary to pay attention to the virtuous cycle of undertakings and industries and promote complementarity; In terms of supervision and management, it is necessary to create a market environment of equal participation and fair competition, and promote the realization of standardized and healthy development.
The development of the silver economy is not only beneficial to the present but also to the long-term, and a beautiful picture of the co-development of people's livelihood and economy is coming.
Moderately Prosperous" • China Well-off Network Exclusive Article).
This article was published in the early February 2024 issue of Xiaokang.