Imagine that part of the money you earn every month is paid into a big box called "social security". This box promises that when you are old, it will give you money so that you can enjoy your old age. But now, more and more young people have lost confidence in this big box. Some people even shouted the slogan "I would rather not have medical insurance when I see a doctor, and I would rather not have money to retire than stop paying social security!" What happened behind this? Today, let's talk about this topic and see why more than 40 million young people would rather "run naked" than pay social security in 5 years.
Social security was once considered a "golden rice bowl" for old age and a guarantee of life for everyone after retirement. Not paying social security seemed to mean being irresponsible for the future. But in recent years, the situation has changed. With the aging of the population and the introduction of the policy of delaying retirement, young people have begun to doubt the future of social security. They worry whether the social security system can still be maintained when they retire and whether they can still receive the pension they deserve.
This concern is not groundless. Data show that in 2023, the number of newborns in my country will be 9.02 million. By 2048, these people will be 25 years old and will be the main payers of social security. Assuming that the retirement age remains unchanged, by 2048, people born in 1988 will start to receive pensions, and the number of people born in 1988 will be 24.64 million. A simple calculation shows that the dependency ratio of the elderly population will be as high as 36.6%, while this figure will be only 21.8% in 2022 and will almost double by 2048. What is the concept? In layman's terms, by 2048, one young person will have to support 2.7 elderly people. Faced with such data, many young people have begun to lose confidence and choose to stop paying social security.
In addition, the rising cost of living has also caused some young people to stop paying social security, especially for those who work flexibly. According to China News Network, by 2022, the total employed population in my country will be 740 million, of which more than 200 million will be in flexible employment, accounting for 27% of the total employed population. Social security payments are a heavy burden for them. Taking Shanghai as an example, the minimum social security payment amount is as high as 2,558 yuan, or 30,696 yuan a year. For those who work flexibly, they have to bear all this money themselves, which is a very large expense. Under the pressure of daily expenses and renting a house, social security payments have become a burden they have to consider.
Some elderly people are puzzled by this change. They think that they have made contributions to the country when they were young, and it is reasonable for them to receive pensions now.
But for young people, they hope to see reforms to the social security system and hope to have a fairer and more sustainable system.
In my opinion, the social security system does need reform. Perhaps the "one supply, one match" approach to pensions, as suggested by Zhou Xiaochuan, the former governor of the People's Bank of China, is an option worth exploring. At present, the main problem with my country's pensions is the lack of incentive mechanisms. "One supply, one match" is to improve this incentive mechanism. Simply put, if you save 100 yuan, you will have 200 yuan more in your account. This should make more young people more inclined to pay for social security.
Social security payment is not only related to everyone's retirement life, but also an important cornerstone of social stability. We need to find a balance point that can both protect the rights and interests of the elderly and inspire the confidence of young people. This may require joint efforts from the government, enterprises and individuals.
Finally, I want to say to young people that no matter how the social security system is reformed, we should prepare for our retirement. From now on, even if we save a little money every month, we can accumulate a lot in the future. In this way, when we get old, at least we will not feel embarrassed because of financial problems.
The issue of social security is a complex and realistic topic. It not only concerns the vital interests of everyone, but also the stability and development of the entire society. On this issue, we need more communication and understanding, more reform and innovation. Only in this way can we jointly create a better future.
