Retirement age higher

26/03/2010 15:00

Substantial reduction pensioners under 60
Most dramatic reduction of retirements under 60 in public sector
On average, men retire six months later than women
Education level hardly relevant

Employees retire at a later age. In 2007, the average age of retirement had risen to 62. The number of people employed in public administration and public services who retire before having reached the age of 60 is diminishing. Men are older when they retire than women.

In 2007, nearly 68 thousand employees retired. In the period 2000–2006, the average age of retirement was 61 years. In 2007, it rose to 62, due to new legislation and specific measures introduced in 2006 to discourage early retirement. The amount of people who retire prior to their 60th birthday has indeed fallen substantially from approximately 18 thousand annually between 2004 and 2006 to just over 8 thousand in 2007.

In the sector public administration and government services, the number of retirements under the age of 60 declined most and was reduced from 5,200 in 2006 to 900 in 2007. As a result, the average age of retirement rose from just over 60 to well over 61 in 2007. At the same time, the total number of pensioners in this sector dropped considerably from 10 thousand in 2006 to 4 thousand in 2007. Despite the fact that employees retire later in life, the average age of retirement in the sector public administration and government services is still relatively low. The lowest average age of retirement was in the sector health care (just under 61 in 2007) and the highest (over 64) in the sector agriculture and fisheries.

In the period 2000–2006, the age of retirement was the same for both genders. The number of men retiring prior to their 60th birthday fell drastically between 2006 and 2007. This is reflected in a higher average retirement age for men than for women in 2007. The age difference between men and women at the moment of retirement is six months (men average 62.1 years and women 61.6 years).

There was hardly any difference between higher and lower educated employees with respect to the age at which they retire.

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