Average retirement age employees more than 63 years

The average retirement age of employees had risen to more than 63 years in 2011. The number of employees who retire at 65 or older is growing. More than 75 thousand employees went into retirement last year.

Retirement age further up in 2011

During the period 2000–2006, employees on average retired at the age of 61. The average retirement age has risen since 2007 due to changes in the law and new rules aiming to restrict early retirement, which were introduced in 2006. As a result, fewer employees retire prior to their 60th birthday and the proportion of employees who continue to work until 65 is growing. The average age of retirement of employees rose further last year to 63.1 years.

Number of retired employees and average age of retirement

More employees retire at 65 or later

The proportion of employees who go into retirement at the age of 65 or later has doubled over the past five years from 15 percent in 2006 to 30 percent in 2011. At the same time, the proportion of employees who go into retirement prior to their 60th birthday has declined substantially. In 2006, 28 percent of employees who stopped working were under the age of 60 versus only 6 percent in 2011.

Age of retirement employees

Average retirement age lowest in sectors construction and public administration

With 62.2 years, the earliest average retirement age was recorded among employees in the sectors construction and public administration, followed by the sector health care and welfare. The highest average retirement age was recorded in the sector cultural, environmental and other services and the sector agriculture and fisheries.

Age of retirement employees by sector

Koos Arts and Ferdy Otten