Dutch Retirement Age to Raise to 67

New Guidelines Also Address Manual Labor Rules

The Dutch government has set out new work rules that raise the national retirement age to 67.

Those over the age of 55 as of Jan. 1, 2010, will still be able to collect a state pension when they reach 65. In 2020, the retirement age rises to 66, and in 2025, it rises to 67. Employers will also need to contribute to pension plans for an additional two years. Employees with at least 42 years of employment history will still be able to retire at 65.

Additionally, employers of workers that do heavy manual labor will be obliged to lighten their employees’ workloads after 30 years of such work. If they fail to do so, the employer must pay a premium enabling the employee to collect a pension at age 65.

The new rules reflect a suggestion made in a recent Melbourne Mercer Pensions Index report. The report ranked the Netherlands’ pension system first out of 11 reviewed countries, but recommended that the pension age be raised to reflect increasing life expectancy.

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

November 5, 2009