China deliberates bill to extend retirement age "aiming to stop the decline in the working population"

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

中国 定年延長法案を審議 ”労働人口減少の歯止めをねらい”

2024年9月11日 1時01分

中国の国営テレビは、急速に進む少子高齢化に対応するため、段階的に定年を延長する法案を国会に当たる立法機関で審議したと伝えました。労働人口の減少に歯止めをかけることなどがねらいですが、若い世代の雇用を奪うことになるのではないかという懸念も出ています。

国営の中国中央テレビは、立法機関に当たる全人代＝全国人民代表大会の常務委員会で10日、定年の延長に関する法案を審議したと伝えました。

中国では、建国まもない1950年代に定年年齢が定められ、男性はすべての従業員が60歳、女性は幹部が55歳で、そのほかの従業員が50歳となっています。

ただ、近年は、急速に少子高齢化が進み、2035年ごろには60歳以上の人口が4億人を超え全体の3割以上を占めるという予測もあり、労働人口の減少やひっ迫する年金財政に対応する必要があるとして、定年を延長する議論が本格化していました。

具体的な法案の内容は明らかになっていませんが、男女とも今後、段階的に65歳まで延長する案などが伝えられています。

ただ、中国経済の減速などを背景に若い世代の失業率が高止まっていて、定年の延長は若い世代の雇用を奪うことになるのではないかという懸念も出ています。

Translation

China's state-run television reported that a bill to gradually extend the retirement age was deliberated by the legislative body equivalent to the National Diet in response to the rapid decline in the working population and aging population. The aim was to stop the decline in the working population, but there were concerns that it could take away jobs from the younger generation.

State-run China Central Television reported on the 10th that the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the legislative body, deliberated a bill to extend the retirement age.

In China, the retirement age was set in the 1950s shortly after the founding of the country, with all male employees at 60, female executives at 55, and other female employees at 50.

However, in recent years, the country had been rapidly aging and the birthrate was falling, with predictions that by around 2035, the population over 60 would exceed 400 million, representing more than 30% of the total. This led to serious discussions about extending the retirement age, as it would be necessary to address the declining labor force and tight pension finances.

The specific contents of the bill had not been made public, but it was reported that there were plans to gradually extend the retirement age to 65 for both men and women.

However, with the unemployment rate among young people remaining high due to factors such as the slowdown of the Chinese economy, there were concerns that extending the retirement age could take away jobs from the younger generation.

So, China’s population has a rapidly aging while birthrate falling problem. It has been reported that the government plans to gradually extend the retirement age to 65 for both men and women. Yet there are concerns that extending the retirement age will take away jobs from the younger generation. It is a dilemma that the government must face.