While there were fewer than 29,000 employed individuals over the age of 65 in 2020, that number has now risen to over 70,000 — and it could grow even further. The government is preparing to allow all retirees to work full-time while still receiving half of their pension, reports N1.
Last month, 33,904 retirees were working part-time — nearly 500 more than in February. In addition, over 36,000 people continued to work past the age of 65 without officially retiring and are still listed as insured within the labour system.
This brings the total to more than 70,000 individuals over 65 who remain employed.
More than 5,700 retirees work in retail, while the manufacturing industry and professional, scientific, and technical services are also popular sectors, employing over 4,300 older citizens. Nearly 3,700 are in administrative roles, and 3,600 retired persons are working in construction, according to Tportal.
Over 400 Job Ads at the Employment Bureau
Retail workers, cleaners, and medical staff are currently in highest demand. This is evident from the open job listings for retirees on the Croatian Employment Service website, where more than 400 ads for senior employment are currently published.
Data shows a clear rise in the number of employed retirees and insured individuals over the past few years. In February this year, 33,482 retirees were working, along with 36,483 insured persons aged over 65, bringing the total to 69,965 older employees.
In the same month last year, 28,059 retirees were working part-time, and 30,587 people over 65 remained in regular employment. Five years ago, only 12,524 people worked alongside receiving a pension, and 16,290 individuals over 65 were employed full-time. That’s just under 29,000 — highlighting the rapid increase in employed pensioners.
A New Employment Option
While the public often focuses on hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, we may soon be talking about 100,000 employed retirees. A recently proposed pension reform aims to allow all retirees to work full-time while receiving half of their pension. Until now, only certain groups of retirees under specific regulations were eligible for this benefit.
Retiree associations point out that most elderly people in Croatia continue working due to extremely difficult financial situations. They also note that, while the proportion of working retirees is still lower than in Western Europe or Scandinavia, pensioners there typically work out of a sense of social involvement — not out of necessity, as is often the case in Croatia.