Opinion | Extending retirement age for all civil servants is fairer, and better for Hong Kong
Albert Cheng says a bigger pool of public officials will address shortage of qualified candidates for top posts, and prevent accusations of abuse
Just look around and you will see the trend. According to the World Health Organisation, Hong Kong will have the fifth-highest proportion of senior citizens in the population by 2050 among all major cities.
At present, one in eight of us is 65 or above. In 20 years, a quarter of us will fall into this bracket. The tally of elderly citizens will then top two million for the first time.
Meanwhile, our birth rate continues to decline. Five years ago, every 1,000 people in employment had to care for 172 dependents. Come 2021, the number of non-working persons to be supported will surge to 227.
The economic case to enlarge the working population is clear. In response to the challenge, the government plans to follow Western countries in pushing back the official retirement age.
The Civil Service Bureau has proposed redrawing the line from 60 to 65 for public servants. As for the disciplined forces, the recommendation is to change the mandatory retirement age of 55 to 60. Once the new arrangement is in place, public bodies and quasi-government organisations will follow suit.
The proposed scheme is, however, meant only for future recruits. Incumbent civil servants who want to stay on will be assessed by their department heads on a case-by-case basis.