China to raise retirement age as population ages

HONG KONG, March 14 (Reuters) – China plans to gradually raise the retirement age in stages to cope with a rapidly aging population, the state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday, based on information from an expert from the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources. .

Jin Weigang, president of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences, said China was exploring a “gradual, flexible and differentiated path to raising the retirement age”, meaning it would be initially delayed for a few months, which would be increased later.

“People approaching retirement age will only have to push it back several months,” Jin told the Global Times. Young people may have to work for a few more years, but they will have a long period of adaptation and transition, he added.

“The most important feature of the reform is to allow people to choose when to retire based on their circumstances and conditions.”

China has yet to officially announce a change to its retirement age, which is one of the lowest in the world: 60 for men, 55 for skilled workers and 50 for blue-collar workers. ‘factory.

(Reporting by Farah Master in the Hong Kong and Beijing newsroom; Spanish edited by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)