LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Society

Controversy over Chinese grassroot officials' early retirement

1
2016-04-10 08:05Xinhua Editor: Gu Liping
Senior citizens chat at a retirement home in Beijing. (Photo/Xinhua)

Senior citizens chat at a retirement home in Beijing. (Photo/Xinhua)

To cope with increasing pressure from a graying population, the Chinese government is setting a timetable for postponing the retirement age, while many local civil servants are experimenting with a different path.

China has 210 million people aged 60 or above, accounting for 15.5 percent of the population. It is estimated that by 2020, this section of society will make up 19.3 percent of the population, and 38.6 percent in 2050.

This will weigh heavy on government endowment insurance expenditure, as individual pensions have increased from 700 yuan (110.36 U.S. dollars) 10 years ago to more than 2,000 yuan currently.

At the end of 2015, about 850 million Chinese had pension plans, but prospects are bleak as revenue has grown slower than expenses to the extent that there are are financial deficits in some provinces.

Yin Weimin, human resources and social security minister, in February announced China was raising the retirement age to offset some of these pressures.

Current retirement age is 60 for men, 55 for female white-collar workers and 50 for female blue-collar employees.

LOCAL PRACTICE

In recent years, central authorities have employed various approaches to streamlining government organs, cutting human costs and boosting efficiency.

One way is to giving functionaries the liberty to retire early, with a full pension plus some monetary compensation.

For example, nearly 100 officials in one county in Hunan Province, central China, have applied for early retirement. Last year the officials aged over 50 or who had worked for the county for more than 20 years were invited to retire or transfer to non-leadership positions. They will receive their full pension plus an annual allowance of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, more money than they'd make in their current positions.

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.