Chinese workers fear job discrimination as govt plans to raise retirement age

Beijing [China], March 19 : As China plans to "gradually" increase its mandatory retirement ages, many Chinese workers are worried that it might exacerbate discrimination in the job market.
China recently announced its new five-year plan (2021-25). According to this, China will "gradually" increase mandatory retirement ages that have been unchanged for 70 years as its population crisis looms larger every year.
How much the retirement age should be extended is still up for debate but deep-seated discrimination in China's labour market - on the basis of gender, age and education - has led many to believe that postponing retirement could make searching for a job even more difficult, South China Morning Post reported.
Liu Wendi, a 39-year-old operations manager at an office rental company in Shenzhen, said her job-related anxiety spiked after she turned 35 - an invisible barrier at which Chinese employers start to think twice about the abilities of their workers and job applicants, particularly in fast-paced industries involving the internet and finance.
Since she is working in the service industry, Liu said her job requires her to look young and beautiful in the office. She has spent a lot of money on beauty treatments and new clothes to stay "competitive" as she nears her forties.
"If the retirement age is pushed back to 60, I think that by the time I'm 45, or even before that, I won't be able to continue working in this industry or in this position," Liu said.
"Which private company doesn't want their employees to be young and motivated, with a small family burden, and to work overtime - to maximise their value? Delaying retirement won't make the workplace friendlier to people in their forties and fifties. I can foresee that it will be a tough period for those between the ages of 50 and 60: no pension, with our income falling sharply and becoming increasingly unstable. We would be able to do only some service jobs, mostly part-time," she added.
She said because of declining health, the unemployment rate for those over the age of 50 will definitely be the highest.
Fu Meng, a 46-year-old human resources manager at a European chemical manufacturer, echoed Liu's view that more older workers could become relegated to a limited number of professions.
"There will be 50-year-old jobseekers entering the service industry as restaurant waiters and security guards," Fu said. "In China's labour market, except for state-owned enterprises, there are already too few openings for people over 50.
"Even for experienced professionals like us, we are very worried about delaying the retirement age, because after 50 it is difficult to work in the positions that you are in now," Fu said of herself and her colleagues.
"As white-collar worker, we cannot accept that we will have to enter the service industry. Many people may use their savings to open a small shop, but it feels like there will be a lot of uncertainties and risks in our life when we are old," Fu added.
Fu added that the average age of new hires at her company was now 30 and that the age range was 30-35 for middle management and 40 for senior management.