As China’s population ages, authorities are legislating to better protect people who continue to work beyond retirement age.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released a draft regulation on July 31 which aims to clarify and protect for the first time the rights and interests of laborers above legal retirement age.
As the number of people aged 60 or above hit 310 million in 2024, 22 percent of the country’s total population, more people continue to work beyond the official retirement age, 60 for men and 50-55 for women. The retirement age will gradually increase to 63 for men and 55-58 for women over the next 15 years.
Experts said the new regulation will be a good addition to China’s current labor law which does not cover laborers beyond retirement age. It states that laborers beyond retirement age must be paid according to their contracts, which should not be below the minimum wage of the city where they work, and that employers should assign appropriate work to those laborers and take necessary measures to protect their safety.
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