Hong Kong's new civil servants' retirement age increased by five years
Long-expected increase in retirement age to kick in from June 1, bureau says
New recruits to the civil service hired after June 1 this year will have to stay in work for five more years before they can retire.
The new retirement age, confirmed on Monday by the Civil Service Bureau, will be 65 for general civil servants and 60 for members of disciplined services such as the police. The retirement age for both groups is currently 60 and 55 respectively.
The measure, announced by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his policy address in January, is part of a government population strategy aimed at coping with the ageing population and shrinking workforce.
Other measures being rolled out include encouraging more women to work, a higher minimum wage, and making moves to attract overseas workers.
At present, about one in seven of the population is aged 65 or above, and the proportion is expected to increase to about one-third by 2041.
Over the past five years, the number of people retiring from the civil service - which is the city's largest employer with more than 160,000 staff - has been on the rise, with about 4,200 people leaving every year. This figure had been expected to increase to about 7,000 by 2023.
The increase in the retirement age is in line with worldwide trends but some civil service unions have criticised the measure, saying it ignores the needs of serving civil servants.
The unions wanted the new measure to apply to current staff on a voluntary basis, instead of having to apply for an extension as proposed by the government.
Leung Chau-ting, chief executive of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, said: "The lower-level staff will be especially hard hit. People nowadays can stay healthy even at an older age. Many of the current staff are still able to work after 60 years old. If they are required to retire, how can they support their living? Bear in mind their salaries are usually lower," Leung said.
"If the government wants more people to work, I don't see why it can't allow current civil servants to stay to work longer if they want," he added.
He also rejected the proposed application system, saying it could give rise to favouritism.
A government spokesman said: "Flexible measures for extending [serving civil servants'] service will be formulated with a view to addressing the different … needs of individual grades or departments, maintaining effective management of the civil service."
