Snippets: Demography advantage

Demography — the fundamental driver of all economies —  is shifting the balance of power in Asia, according to Deloitte’s Voice of Asia report. By 2042 there will be more over-65s in Asia than the populations of the Eurozone and North America combined. This will provide a target-rich environment of business opportunities, focused on a growth cluster targeting megatrends such as rising life expectancies, increasing relative health care costs, and tightening public sector budgets. 

India will rise as an economic superpower, supplying more than half of the increase in Asia's potential workforce over the coming decade.  Ageing will create a growth cluster of industry winners. The money being spent by and on ageing populations will grow even faster than Asia ages, because the impact of new technologies and the on-going management of increasing chronic conditions means health care costs will rise faster than most other costs. 

Finally, private sector opportunities will grow even faster still, because stretched government budgets mean the share of health-related costs borne by taxpayers is likely to decrease in the decades ahead.

Snacks to attract talent

A survey by food service company, ZeroCater, which offers catering services to start-ups in San Francisco, has found that companies are spending large amounts on snacks to attract and retain top talent. 

These firms are spending an average of $3–$8 per employee per day on snacks, which amounts to $78000 to $208000, annually, for a workforce of 100 people. ZeroCater, which has clients such as Adobe, Visa, Wells Fargo and Salesforce, surveyed more than a 1000 employees at 13 different client companies.

When the employees  were asked what is most meaningful to them, they ranked food in the top five, along with medical benefits, work flexibility and quality work–life factors.