A new podcast episode featuring Maxim Oreshkin is now available to watch

A new episode in the podcast series "OD on Air" is available on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA and on major video hosting platforms. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Maxim Oreshkin, and Wang Feng, Professor of Sociology at the University of California (USA), discussed global demographic trends, population ageing, urbanisation, and the impact of technology on labour markets and social policy.

"The world is changing faster than even the best experts can predict. That is the world we live in. We will see a decline in the global population and a significant increase in the number of elderly people everywhere. I believe governments around the world, especially in countries with ageing societies, will be deeply concerned about financing pensions and healthcare for older populations," Wang Feng said during the podcast.

Maxim Oreshkin and Wang Feng also discussed urbanisation and the concentration of populations in megacities — from Moscow and Saint Petersburg to Tokyo, New York and Shanghai. According to the professor, young people are drawn to large cities not only for employment opportunities but also for quality of life, which intensifies competition for talent and exacerbates housing and social challenges.

Technological change was another key topic of the conversation. Automation, artificial intelligence and the development of digital services create opportunities for reskilling and extending active working life. At the same time, they raise new questions for governments — from the taxation of technology to the financial sustainability of pension systems. Wang Feng emphasised the need to transition to multi-tier pension models and to ensure a fairer distribution of the benefits of technological growth.

The new episode of the podcast series "OD on Air" is available via the link.