INEI: 26% of households are supported by an older adult

At the end of the last quarter of 2022, approximately 4.5 million older adults were registered in Peru, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI).

of this universe, 1 million 536,200 compatriots aged 60 and over have a job, which slightly exceeds, even, what was seen before the arrival of the coronavirus.

Thus, of every 100 employed older adults, 24 work in the commerce sector; 19 in agriculture, fishing and mining and 6 in construction, mainly. 42.5% work in other services, which include transportation and communications, accommodation and food services, and education, etc.

As a result of its active participation in the economy, the INEI details that 26.1% of Peruvian households are headed by an elderly person, with more women in charge (28.5%). In rural areas, the importance of women in a home stands out more: 40.8% of households are headed by a woman, and only 25.7% by a man.

And, in general terms, 39.5% of households nationwide have some elderly member.

The quality of life is insufficient

33.5% of the elderly belong to a pension system, and by model, 18.8% are in the ONP, 9.6% in the AFPs and 2.7% in the Cédula Viva —called Law 20530 within the public system. There is a 5.0% drop in the total of sixty-year-olds (or more) who joined a pension system compared to 2019.

Oscar Alarcón, president of the National Central of Retirees and Pensioners of Peru (Cenajupe), warns that the Government of Dina Boluarte —through the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF)— does not show signs of wanting to address the claims of pensioners from the ONP: the general increase in pensions and progress with the reform of the system.

“The MEF does not generate confidence in me because it does not show signs of wanting to solve our problems. Lack of political will. He MEF He has not put a single sun for the increase in pensions in the 2023 budget. They discriminate against us, ”he commented for La República.

And, regarding the unification of the public pension system — as the minister Alex Contreras announced —, Alarcón hopes that uniformity will be respected because “there are regimes where workers, having similar rights, earn less.”

For his part, Luis Luzuriaga, president of the Fonavi Ad Hoc Commission, regrets that the Boluarte regime “is indolent” and is not interested in returning their money to the elderly who contributed to the construction of their homes.

In his opinion, the lack of protection is reflected in the number of deaths from the coronavirus in our country: of 250,000 deaths, 70% were older adults.

“Despite the regulations that protect the elderly, none have been effective and we have become impoverished. Some needs have been alleviated, but the underlying problem has not been resolved: economics,” she said.

Pensión 65 must reach more users

Approach. Patricia Donayre, ex-owner of the Midis

There is a pending issue regarding the reform of the pension system in the Congress of the republic, since it is intended to merge the Pension 65 and Contigo programs. It’s a mistake. Both are programs that go beyond a financial contribution.

For example, in Pensión 65 the ancestral knowledge of the elderly is also rescued and valued; several of the users have been rewarded for their productive initiatives, which is the case of the coffee venture El Abuelo Valdizano.

In addition, full coverage of the elderly poor and extremely poor is still pending. Not everyone has yet been included. The data is still not updated to adequately measure their universe. What must be done is to strengthen, increase the coverage and the budget of the social programs aimed at this vulnerable group.

The key

Bet. The Congressional Labor Commission seeks to unite the members of Pensión 65 within the new pension system. Currently, 17.5% of the elderly household leaders access this program, 0.5% less than in 2019.