Chinese Public Reacts After Beijing Raises Retirement Age [Video]

Chinese netizens have voiced anxiety over the government’s recent announcement that it plans to introduce new retirement ages.

Starting in 2025, China will gradually raise the ages of statutory retirement for the first time since they were established in the 1950s, with the change being phased in over 15 years, Beijing announced on Friday. The world’s second most-populous country faces a fast-graying workforce and one of the world’s lowest birth rates.

On Friday, the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, approved the decision to phase in the new statutory retirement ages. Men’s retirement age is set to rise from 60 to 63, and women’s from 50 to 55 for blue-collar workers and 55 to 58 for those in white-collar positions.

The policy is expected to add one month of work every four months.

The announcement, posted by ChinaCentral Television on the popular microblogging platform Weibo, quickly gathered more …