President ratifies law raising employment age to 75 years

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Thursday, has ratified the Re-Employment Act which raises the employment age in the public service up to 75 years, fulfilling a key presidential pledge.

The Parliament passed the Re-Employment Bill during an extraordinary sitting held on Monday.

Raising the employment age in public service to 75 years is an electoral pledge of President Muizzu.

The law will come into effect 30 days from its ratification.

The law establishes a comprehensive legal framework to enable the re-employment of government employees up to the age of 75, specifying both the eligibility requirements and the procedural steps that must be followed under the re-employment policy. It applies to individuals who are either currently employed in the public service or have previously held positions within it, with certain exceptions. Specifically, the law does not cover members of the armed forces, the police, judges, or individuals appointed to positions under the Constitution or other legislation.

Under this law, government employees who have reached the standard pensionable age of 65 may continue their service, provided they do not exceed the maximum age limit of 75. Additionally, the law makes provisions for individuals who were compelled to retire upon reaching the pensionable age of 65 during the seven years preceding the enactment of this legislation, allowing them the opportunity to be re-employed under the new policy. The aim is to ensure continuity of experienced personnel in public service while maintaining a clear and structured process for re-employment.

During his presidential campaign, President Muizzu promised to allow government employees to continue working in public service beyond the age of 65, up to 75, through contractual employment. At the time, he specified that these contracts would typically be for a duration of one year.

“It might be difficult to stay home due to living conditions. Hence, individuals who wish to remain employed even after retirement should have that opportunity,” the President said, during a campaign event at B. Eydhafushi.

Notably, data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicate that 19 percent of the youth population are not employed, including 4,744 women and 5,672 men. The Ministry of Higher Education has reported that over 8,000 individuals have registered for jobs and stated that special programs will be organized to support their employment.