The Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on June 5 that postponing the retirement age is an irreversible trend, and the government is working on appropriate timing. This stirred controversy among the public.
　　In China, the legal retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women in government departments or public institutions and 50 for female workers in factories. Whether to prolong working years is not a new topic in the country. Debates regarding it never end.
　　Supporters claim it will help employers take full advantage of human resources, and allow employees to receive more income after retirement. Also, it will be helpful to balancing the deposit and expenditures of endowment insurance and medical insurance funds. Opponents argue that it may further intensify the already severe situation in the job market. Others proposed more flexible policies regarding the retirement age, such as allowing employees to prolong their working years by choice. The following are excerpts of some opinions.
　　Supporters
　　Tan Yaling (Global Times): Postponing the retirement age has become a global trend, and China should not be an exception. Many people who are nearing their retirement are actually at their golden age of working time, because they are experienced and competent. Postponing the retirement age is reasonable, and should be encouraged. However, the importance of being flexible needs to be emphasized here. Policies need to be designed according to the nature of different kinds of work. For instance, office workers and manual workers should be treated differently.
　　The current retirement policies were en- acted in the 1970s. Given the fact that the life expectancy is increasing and the number of people collecting pensions is decreasing because of the family planning policy, reforming the retirement policies is necessary.
　　Some may say that postponing the retirement age will put more pressure upon young people who are seeking jobs. In my view, this is a misunderstanding. It is known that a sound economy and great potential for economic development create job opportunities. China now is at the early stage of market economy, which creates countless possibilities for youngsters hunting for jobs. Also, in the long run, this would benefit young people because experienced workers can positively influence them with their rich experience. Therefore, delaying experienced workers’retirement would not damage the interests of young people.
　　Zheng Xinzhen (www.sohu.com ): Postponing the retirement age is an objective trend. It means more than just delaying pension payment. Workers who work longer cannot only create benefits but also contribute to the pension pool. At present, though some cities seem to have surplus labor, the aging population is growing, and that has become a social issue. In 10 years, there will be a problem of labor scarcity. So, postponing the retirement age is a reasonable suggestion.
　　Li Zhen (www.shihua.com.cn): We should acknowledge that postponing the retirement age would affect employment to some extent. But, the effect would not be too big. Retirement does not mean leaving the job market. Many retirees are rehired by their companies. A survey shows that the number of retirees who continue to work is now 20 percent of the total. Life expectancy is increasing, so sticking to the original retirement age could cause some problems. In order to sustain the support of pensions, working people have to be deducted more, which would lead to the rise of the manpower cost and in turn reduce new job opportunities. We should not count on postponing the retirement age to solve all problems in the pension system. But it will make the situation better. It will also benefit retirees themselves. If employees postpone taking their pensions, they will get more money when they retire.
　　Opponents
　　Guo Junkui (www.cnhubei.com): Longer life expectancy cannot be considered a reason for postponing the retirement age. For most people, especially physical workers, they are already in poor health in their 50s or 60s, and by no means desire prolonging their working years. Therefore, in my view, the current retirement age is still practical, and should not be changed. I hope the government will not take the minority opinion over that of the majority.
　　That the new replaces the old, like metabolism, is an irreversible trend. Life science tells us that human beings begin aging in their 50s or 60s. In light of it, it is unreasonable to prolong people’s working years. Moreover, old people who retire at a “reasonable” age can make room for young people.
　　Gu Jun (www.jfdaily.com): Individual differences within the working class result in distinct attitudes toward postponing the retirement age. For manual workers who work extremely hard for meager salaries, retirement can help them unload the heavy burden of work. Also, according to the current policies, they would get a higher pension compared with their salary. Under such circumstances, postponing the retirement age means depriving them of the right of enjoying social welfare. As for another group of people who are working flexible hours, receiving enviable salaries and welfare, retirement means cutting off their financial resources. Therefore, they would by no means desire to retire voluntarily. Also, they would be the firmest supporters for postponing the retirement age.
　　Though different groups of people hold different opinions, as long as the principle of choice is fully respected, conflicts will not occur, and the interests of underrepresented groups will not be harmed. The current problem regarding pensions is partly caused by the imperfect social security system.
　　To carry out the principle of fairness, two opinions should be stressed here. First, individuals’ choices should be fully respected. Second, people who prefer to work longer are supposed to receive compensation. For instance, their total retirement payment (from the moment they retire to the moment they die) should be higher than that of people who prefer not to prolong their working years. More importantly, a better way of pension calculation needs to be created and strictly conducted. Merely picturing a beautiful future without actually taking efforts to make it happen is not fair for the public, especially for underrepresented groups.
　　Lin Xiao (Guangming Daily): Postponing the retirement age may impact many aspects of society. First, it would put more pressure on the already severe situation of the employment market. Second, it would harm the interests of low-income physical workers who hope to retire so as to receive the relatively high retirement payment as soon as possible. Under the circumstances, reforming the retirement policies would be the most effective way to address those problems.
　　The principle of being flexible regarding retirement reform could be practiced step by step. Due to the fact that we lack experience in this area, implementing the updated policies in several cities first would be a wise choice. As for the government, it needs to give support to those cities in any possible way, such as making favorable policies and providing financial aid.
　　Also, improvements can be made regarding the employment market. The government needs to provide more job opportunities for college students and rural migrant workers, and it should shoulder the responsibility of closing the gap between job-seekers’ qualifications and employers’ requirements by providing courses designed exclusively for them.
　　Last but not least, regarding different groups of people, the retirement policies need to be conducted accordingly. For civil servants or employees of public institutions, postponing the retirement age could be treated as a compulsive policy; whereas for physical workers and employees of private enterprises, their personal choices should be fully respected, so as to minimize the potential conflicts.
　　Zheng Bingwen (Beijing Evening News): The draft of the updated policies should be open to the public, and the government should gather feedback. The public has the right to be clear about the reasons to postpone the retirement age. If they think the new policies are beneficial, they would support it without any doubt.
　　However, the current situation is not optimistic. People’s questions regarding pensions have not been answered. The problems concerning pensions are rarely publicly discussed. This is not right. People deserve to know the truth of the situation.
　　Also, some particular issues need to be further discussed. For instance, what is the appropriate age for retirement now? This should be set based on precise calculations. And the public needs to be informed of the detailed data about the pensions.