Singapore will raise its workers’ retirement age from 63 to 64 on 1 July 2026. The re-employment age will go up from 68 to 69. This means that workers who want to work longer will have longer statutory protection until the age of 64, while companies must offer eligible staff re-employment until 69, on adjusted terms if necessary. CPF withdrawal and payout ages are not affected by these changes.
Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang announced the timeline during his ministry’s Committee of Supply budget debate in Parliament. She said that the move was reached with consensus among the tripartite grouping of his ministry, unions and employers. The retirement and re-employment age ceilings were last raised in 2022. She added that the rise in retirement and re-employment ages is due to longer life expectancy. The change can also help to address the lack of manpower.
Gan said that some companies may need to adjust their manpower and upskilling plans to retain their senior workers. “Over nine in 10 senior workers who were eligible and wished to continue working were offered re-employment in 2023. To ensure that the next increase is implemented just as smoothly, I encourage employers to start planning early,” she said.
