KOTA KINABALU, May 25 — The proposal to raise the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65 years raises concerns about limiting the availability of positions for new workers, which could consequently diminish job prospects for the younger generation.
Therefore, the president of the Sabah Government Teachers’ Union (KGKS), Gundohing Murkam Hj Hussien, opined that the proposal is inappropriate and should not be implemented at this time.
According to statistics, it is said that Malaysia produces more than 300,000 graduates, including those in the education field, every year, and if the proposal is implemented, many among them face difficulties in securing permanent jobs in the future.
“As such, KGKS believes that this proposal should be rejected,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
Murkam was commenting on the statement by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who suggested that the government consider raising the retirement age on the grounds that many individuals aged 60 and above are still healthy and experienced.
Murkam said that health factors and experience should not be used as the main reasons to justify the move to raise the retirement age.
He said this because it can have a long-term impact on the prospects for youth development and the balance in the national labour market. — The Borneo Post
