EXCLUSIVE: Part-Time Option Eyed for Senior Govt Workers in Japan

August 1, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's National Personnel Authority is considering allowing national public servants aged 60 years or older to be rehired to work part-time after retiring once the retirement age is raised, informed sources told Jiji Press on Wednesday.

Subject to the rehiring system will be workers who quit their jobs after turning 60, the current retirement age which the government plans to raise to 65 in stages beginning fiscal 2021.

Specifically, rehired officials are expected to be able to work until the end of March in the fiscal year when they reach the extended retirement age of 65, the sources said.

The rehiring system is designed to diversify work styles for senior government employees who find it difficult to continue working full-time due to physical limits or a need to care for family members.

The National Personnel Authority is expected to present detailed plans for extending the retirement age as early as next week when it makes its annual pay recommendations for national civil servants.

In February, the government asked the agency to consider a system that will allow senior employees to work part-time before retiring after the retirement age is raised. Jiji Press