COMMENT | Empowering older workers amid ageing workforce

COMMENT | Malaysia officially became an ageing nation in 2022, sparking intense debate about its retirement age and the role mature employees can play in a modern evolving workforce.

Yet the real debate should not be whether society needs employees to stay in the workforce longer - there are real and broad benefits in that - but how we can give that older population the skills it needs to keep working.

The United Nations classifies a nation as ageing when seven percent of its population is aged 65 years and above. In 2022, Malaysia's rate jumped to 7.3 percent.

Malaysia’s retirement age is 60 years, although the government had to deny claims of plans to raise it to 65.

Despite the rumours, increasing the retirement age is not the ultimate solution to ensure the nation’s financial stability, especially with the changing landscape of work.

Keeping older workers employed for longer requires...