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Commenting on the need for the changes, Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Dr Koh Poh Koon, said they "shape social norms around ageing and work, giving seniors confidence to stay on, and giving employers the clarity to plan for and retain experienced workers."
Singapore’s retirement age will be raised to 64 and the re‑employment age to 69 from 1 July 2026, Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon announced at the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Committee of Supply 2026, marking the next step in a decade-long effort to extend productive longevity for older workers.
According to SMS Koh, raising statutory retirement and re-employment ages progressively has helped more seniors remain employed, while also providing employers with clarity to plan and retain experienced workers. More than nine in 10 eligible seniors who wish to continue working are successfully offered re-employment, he added.
"These changes do more than just set legal limits. They shape social norms around ageing and work, giving seniors confidence to stay on, and giving employers the clarity to plan for and retain experienced workers," he said.
Citing recent labour force participation trends, he noted a slight growth in residents in their 60s – from about 58% to close to 60% in the past five years. Among those in their 50s, it rose from 79% to 82%
"Internationally, this puts Singapore among the leaders – for workers in their 60s, we rank fifth compared to OECD countries for labour force participation. But for workers in their 50s, we rank only 23rd."
SMS Koh framed the retirement age increase as a continuation of this positive trend, keeping Singapore on track towards a retirement age of 65 and re-employment age of 70 by 2030.
Corresponding updates will be as follows:
Senior Employment Credit extended
To ease the transition, the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) will be extended to December 2027, with the highest wage support tier of 7% applying to workers aged 69 and above. This aims to help employers retain senior talent while giving seniors flexibility to continue working if they wish, SMS Koh noted.
CPF contribution and investment measures
From 2027, CPF contribution rates for workers aged above 55 to 60 will increase by 1.5 percentage points (p.p.); while rates for those aged above 60 to 65 will rise by 1p.p.
The CPF Transition Offset will cover 50% of employers’ additional contributions in 2027.
Additionally, as announced at Budget 2026, a simplified, low-cost lifecycle CPF investment scheme will be introduced in the first half of 2028, and eligible seniors aged 50 and above with lower CPF balances will receive a Budget 2026 CPF Top-up.
The upcoming increase in the retirement and re-employment ages was first announced at MOM's Committee of Supply 2024, following the previous raise to 63 and 68, respectively, in 2022.
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