THE MANDATORY RETIREMENT for civil servants is to rise from 65 to 70 under new measures to be announced by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tomorrow.
Under current rules, those working in the public service must retire from their job at age 65.
However, the new measure will mean people can work up until 70 if they so choose.
It’s understood the new measures will be introduced through a phased basis, according to a government spokesperson.
A number of parties, including Fianna Fail, have called for people to be allowed to work beyond 65 if they so choose, particularly due to an anomaly where employees are forced to retire at age 65 but do not receive their pension until age 66.
During Budget negotiations, members of the Independent Alliance called on Donohoe to give workers the option to work until the age of 66.
They said that up to 5,000 people have been left in limbo, and are being forced to sign onto the dole for a full year after they are forced to retire.
A spokesperson for the Independents Alliance said increasing the compulsory age up to 70 will mean people can work on if they want.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform established an interdepartmental working group last year to examine and report on the issues arising from the current retirement ages for workers in both the public and private sectors.
While looking at both sectors, the department is only responsible for retirement ages of those in the public sector.
On foot of one of the recommendations of the report, the department was tasked to review the current statutory and operational considerations to allowing workers extend their participation in the public service workforce up to and including the current age of entitlement to the Contributory State Pension.
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