Recently, the remarks that the retirement age for women should be extended to 60 have caused an uproar in society. Some economists have pointed out that retiring at the age of 50 could lead to 40 years of "square dancing" in the context of life expectancy of up to 90 years in first-tier cities, and therefore suggested adjusting retirement policies to accommodate this change. However, netizens almost unanimously disagreed, saying that practical issues such as family responsibilities such as taking care of grandchildren and elderly parents should not be ignored, and questioned whether it was reasonable to keep postponing the retirement age.
At the same time, demographic experts have put forward a more radical view that pensions may be halved or retirement delayed until the age of seventy or eighty in the next three decades, sparking a greater controversy. Netizens have questioned that according to the current average life expectancy of 77 years, if the retirement is delayed until the age of 80, wouldn't it be "three years after death to be buried again"? The discussion of the actual working years is also quite intense, with white-collar workers worried about workplace bottlenecks after the age of 35, blue-collar workers worried about the difficulty of finding employment after the age of 50, and a large number of middle-aged and elderly people are facing the heavy responsibility of family care, and it is also an indisputable fact that the cost of nannies is high.
From the voice in the comment area, it can be understood that it reflects more of the obvious pension gap between the elderly in urban and rural areas. Among the elderly over 60 years old in China, the proportion of people who can receive formal pensions is not high, and the pension security of the elderly in rural areas is even more stretched, and they often have to work continuously to make a living.
By analyzing the reasons behind the frequent delay in retirement among scholars and scholars, we can see their deep concern about the potential crisis of the social security system. According to official statistics, the balance of the state pension account is expected to decline rapidly in the coming decades, and there may even be a huge deficit. Although the state has taken some measures, such as the transfer of state-owned equity to enrich social security**, in the face of huge imbalance pressure on revenue and expenditure, these measures seem to be a drop in the bucket. The former governor of the central bank warned that China's total pension accounts for a low proportion of GDP, and stressed that it is urgent to solve the pension problem.
Under the dual pressure of accelerated aging and reduced labor supply, there are limited ways to keep pensions from "breaking the bottom", either the state increases investment, or allows individuals to receive pensions late by delaying retirement. However, drawing on international experience, such as France's attempt to extend the retirement age from 62 to 64, which triggered a national strike, shows that the social resistance to the implementation of the delayed retirement policy is huge. Therefore, if China considers the implementation of delayed retirement due to pension issues, it is also necessary to fully consider the living problems of those who may lose their jobs early but have not reached the statutory retirement age. This requires a more equitable and feasible policy design, first to ensure that ordinary people have stable job opportunities and income**, in order to truly pave the way for delayed retirement.
In any case, in the face of severe social security challenges, society is faced with the arduous task of finding a balance that can not only protect the rights and interests of citizens, but also ensure the sustainability of pensions. How to strike a balance between delaying retirement and ensuring individual employment, which not only meets the pension needs of the elderly, but also ensures the employment opportunities of young people is a difficult problem that needs to be considered by the whole society.
So, what are your thoughts on the delayed retirement policy? How do you think the contradiction between pension and employment should be resolved? Feel free to leave your views and comments and discuss together!