On the 13th, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress voted and passed the decision on implementing the gradual extension of the statutory retirement age. At the special press conference of the 11th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress held on the same day, relevant departments made an interpretation. Taking into account various factors, the statutory retirement age will be gradually extended. Starting from January 1, 2025, China will gradually extend the statutory retirement age for male employees from the original 60 years old to 63 years old over a period of 15 years, and gradually extend the statutory retirement age for female employees from the original 50 years old and 55 years old to 55 years old and 58 years old respectively. For over 70 years, China's economy, society, and population structure have undergone significant changes, and the demands of workers have become increasingly diverse, requiring adjustments to the statutory retirement age Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping said. Data shows that in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the average life expectancy in China was about 40 years old, and now it has risen to 78.6 years old. At the same time, the average length of education for newly added labor force has increased from 8 years in the early stages of reform and opening up to 14 years currently, and the starting age for entering the workforce has generally shifted backwards. Currently, the trend of aging in China is evident. In 2023, there will be 297 million people aged 60 and above in China, accounting for 21.1% of the total population. At the same time, the number of working age population in China has continued to decline since 2012. Wang Xiaoping stated that delaying the statutory retirement age can slow down the downward trend of the working age population and maintain the driving force and vitality of economic and social development. Wang Xiaoping said that with the continuous improvement of living standards and working conditions, workers have different demands on the time of retirement. They hope to have some flexibility and more choices. "The current retirement age policy needs to be adjusted accordingly." "The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the work of delaying the statutory retirement age, emphasizing the need to implement it in a safe and orderly manner." Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Legal Working Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said that the draft decision was reviewed in groups at this meeting of the Standing Committee. It is generally believed that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) is necessary to make relevant decisions in order to thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, ensure that major reforms are based on law, and ensure that the work of gradually delaying the statutory retirement age is carried out in a safe and orderly manner. Adhere to the principles of voluntariness and flexibility, and expand the retirement age from nodes to intervals. According to the reform measures, starting from January 1, 2025, male employees and female employees whose original statutory retirement age was 55 years old will be extended by one month every four months. Female employees who were originally required to retire at the age of 50 will have their retirement age extended by one month every two months. This is a gradual process Wang Xiaoping said that delaying the statutory retirement age in this way is relatively small and has a smooth pace. Adhering to voluntary and flexible principles is an important principle of this reform. Wang Xiaoping said that during the process of soliciting opinions, everyone generally expressed the hope to increase the choice of retirement time appropriately, in order to better plan future work and life. According to the reform measures, employees can voluntarily choose flexible early retirement, with a maximum of 3 years; If an employee reaches the statutory retirement age and their employer and employee reach a consensus through consultation, they may flexibly postpone their retirement for a maximum of 3 years. Wang Xiaoping explained that when employees apply for flexible early retirement, they should reach the minimum payment period for receiving pension. The flexible early retirement age for employees cannot be lower than the original statutory retirement age, which means that male employees cannot be lower than 60 years old, and female employees cannot be lower than 55 or 50 years old. At the same time, the implementation of the flexible retirement system shall not violate the wishes of employees, illegally force or indirectly force employees to choose their retirement age. After the implementation of delaying the statutory retirement age, the retirement age of employees has expanded from a rigid node to an elastic range, increasing their freedom of choice Wang Xiaoping said. With the delay of the statutory retirement age, the minimum payment period for employees to receive basic pension on a monthly basis has also been adjusted accordingly. Wang Xiaoping said that starting from January 1, 2030, the minimum payment period for monthly basic pension for employees will be gradually increased from the current 15 years to 20 years over a period of 10 years, with an annual increase of 6 months. Employees who retire between 2025 and 2029 will still have a minimum payment period of 15 years. The main consideration is that some employees with a payment period of about 15 years are approaching retirement, and setting up a 5-year buffer period can alleviate the impact on them Li Zhong, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said that for employees who retire after 2030, the minimum payment period will not be raised to 20 years at once, but will be adjusted in small steps, increasing by 6 months per year, to facilitate early insurance arrangements for employees who have not yet reached the minimum payment period. The level of pension for retired personnel is linked to the years of contribution and the level of contribution, and is closely related to the retirement age, that is, those who make long-term contributions receive more benefits, those who make more contributions receive more benefits, and those who retire late receive more benefits Li Zhong said. Responding to the expectations and demands of all parties, it is clear that supporting measures such as employment and elderly care will delay the implementation of retirement reform, and everyone is concerned about whether youth employment will be affected. Overall, delaying the statutory retirement age is a gradual implementation process, pushed forward at a relatively small pace, and there is a certain structural difference between the positions vacated by retirees and the positions needed for youth employment. The impact of the reform on youth employment is generally gentle Li Zhong said. We will strengthen the employment priority policy and continuously expand channels for youth employment Li Zhong said that we will promote youth employment by developing more job opportunities, strengthen the coordination between industrial policies and employment policies, promote the improvement of the modern industrial system, vigorously develop new formats and models, and actively cultivate new occupational sequences. Further improve policies such as job expansion subsidies, stable employment refunds, tax and fee reductions, provide guaranteed loans, entrepreneurship subsidies and other preferential treatment for young people who start their own businesses, strengthen vocational skills training, public employment services and career guidance... Li Zhong stated that he will promote youth employment by improving the policy service system. How to promote youth employment by creating a fair and favorable environment? Li Zhong said that market supervision will be strengthened, the order of the human resources market will be cleaned up and rectified, all kinds of illegal and irregular behaviors will be severely cracked down on, and the legitimate employment rights and interests of young people will be effectively safeguarded. The reform measures also propose to incentivize employers to hire more older workers; Employers shall ensure the basic rights and interests of workers who have exceeded the statutory retirement age, including remuneration, rest and vacation, occupational safety and health, and work-related injury protection. Yu Xuejun, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, stated that efforts will be made to monitor occupational health, analyze and grasp the health status of workers, and prevent occupational diseases and health risks among older workers; Continuously improve the medical and health service system based on the health needs of older workers; Intensify the promotion of technology, improve the ability to prevent and control occupational diseases, and enhance the level of occupational health protection. How to better provide elderly care services through the implementation of delayed retirement reform? Ensure the safety net of elderly care services. Include all eligible elderly people in extreme poverty into the scope of government assistance and support completely disabled elderly people from low-income families to voluntarily move into elderly care institutions Vice Minister of Civil Affairs Tang Chengpei said. In terms of expanding and optimizing the supply of elderly care services, Tang Chengpei stated that efforts will be made to vigorously develop community embedded elderly care institutions; Increase policy supply in areas such as meal assistance, medical assistance, social participation, and disability care; Optimize the functional structure of elderly care institutions and expand inclusive elderly care services. By taking multiple measures, we can alleviate the pressure of family elderly care and meet the diverse and multi-level service needs of the elderly. The gradual delay of the statutory retirement age is closely related to the people. We will conscientiously implement the decision requirements, widely gather consensus, carefully organize and implement, and steadily and orderly promote it, "said Wang Xiaoping. (New Society)