Govt begins law reforms to extend retirement age

The government has begun efforts to reform relevant laws to extend the retirement age to 75 years.

The incumbent administration earlier said under these reforms, the official retirement age will be extended from 65 years of age to 75 years. With these reforms, retirees of public offices and those at or above the age of 65 years can retain their employment until the new retirement age.

Extension of the retirement is among the electoral pledges of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

In a statement, the government has said all government bodies and relevant stakeholders are collaborating in the efforts, with ongoing discussions lead by the Ministry of Higher Education.

Various government agencies, security forces, and independent institutions will be contributing to the legal reform efforts.

The objective of these discussions is to analyze the regulations or policies of public offices in retiring older employees, gain insight and acquire feedback from them on the first draft of the bill.

According to the government the Ministry of Higher Education is leading the efforts on the instructions of President Muizzu, and added the bill will be sent to the Attorney General’s Office within a month for review.

During the presidential campaign, President Muizzu suggested revising policies to retain employees aged 65 or above in a contractual basis, which is renewable every year, until they turn 75 years.