KATHMANDU, Jan 16: Demographers and population analysts have suggested increasing the retirement age in the civil service. During a meeting on Thursday with the Parliamentary Committee on State Affairs and Good Governance, they urged the adoption of such a legal provision.
They argued that raising the retirement age would be appropriate due to factors such as the increase in the average life expectancy of Nepali people and the burden on the state caused by early retirements.
The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee invited demographers to discuss the "Federal Civil Service Formation, Operation, and Conditions of Service Bill."
PSC proposes raising civil service entry and retirement age
During the discussion, population analyst Chetan Adhikari, an MPhil and PhD student in population studies at Tribhuvan University, suggested raising the retirement age from 63 to 65 years.
He said, "The age group of 60 to 64 years is considered early aging and is interpreted as active aging. Therefore, various indicators suggest that the civil service retirement age should be set between 63 and 65 years, which would be suitable for at least the next three decades."
The current law sets the retirement age at 58 years. The proposed Civil Service Bill includes a provision to raise it to 60 years.
However, Adhikari believes that, considering Nepal's changing demographic structure and trends, increasing the retirement age to 65 years would be more appropriate to make the civil service more relevant and people-centric.
Adhikari explains the reasons for suggesting an increase in the retirement age, stating, "Considering the current demographic structure, average life expectancy, labor availability, economic burden on the state, healthcare services, and the nature of the service, we can extend the retirement age limit to 65 years."
In Nepal, the retirement age varies across sectors. Civil servants retire at 58, while university staff retires at 63. Supreme Court judges retire at 65, and teachers and healthcare workers retire at 60.
