PETALING JAYA: Malaysians, both young and old, have welcomed the proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age by five years to 65, saying this will provide them with better financial security.
Kindergarten teacher Wong Choon Yit, 62, said he would like to continue doing what he loves – which keeps him occupied rather than idling at home.
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“As long as I am healthy, having the mandatory retirement increase would let me continue supporting the next generation of kids without needing to go through the issues with working post-retirement.
“I would rather continue my daily life as a dedicated teacher than be forced to suddenly sit at home and do nothing as I slowly eat through my savings,” he said.
Data executive Sheryll Sim, 28, said she would feel financially secure with longer employment.
“I know many seniors who retire at 60 and then become unable to support themselves about 20 years later when they hit 80, so an extra five years of guaranteed work would really fix that.
“As long as I am still mentally capable at 60, I feel it would just be better to continue working so I don’t have to worry about money until I eventually pass away,” she said.
Others, however, dread the idea of potentially being forced to work another half-decade to achieve full retirement benefits.
Rebecca Tee, a 32-year-old dentist, said she was worried that needing to work until she is 65 would hurt her back.
“My job requires me to sit in weird postures or angles for long periods, which I feel is going to strain my back badly once I hit 60 and above.
“Even if I stay active and eat healthily, I do not think my backbone can support me past 60 if I continue to strain it by working,” she said.
Cost engineer Jasmine Ang, 36, is worried that it would only cause trouble for her colleagues.
“My job is very technical, so I’m worried that typical old people issues like poor eyesight, short-term memory and a weak backbone would only make me worse at my job for another five years.
“I would much rather spend my early senior years in the outside world and maybe do more meaningful things than stay inside an office to solve problems for a company,” she said.
Karen Bao, 42, said having so many seniors work beyond 60 would also hurt younger workers’ ambition and drive, as higher positions are monopolised by seniors who refuse to retire.
“Being forced to wait another five years for your senior to retire before they can be promoted could cause many new employees to give up trying to grow their careers earlier than usual,” the ideation manager said.
