Senior foreign workers in China would want to stay longer. (Photo : Getty Images)
China disallows work of expats above 60 years but is starting to reconsider this policy.
The city government of Shanghai has allowed senior foreign workers till the age of 70 to be continuously employed. This has been true for a 64-year-old engineer who has been working in an international company in Beijing for over 10 years.
This senior employee with the pseudonym of Andrew Hannigan has been working for an international company in Beijing. He is about to return to the U.S. when he turns 65.
When asked about his upcoming retirement, he said, "To be honest, I don't want to go back. I am used to living in China, and I am perfectly healthy," said Hannigan. "I still have a few good years ahead of me. I can still work and contribute."
Some of Hannigan's colleagues have already been given extensions. Huang Hong, a department director of the Shanghai Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said that the ministry has been allowing expats to work until they are 70 years old.
"Since then, we have issued work permits to over 100 foreign experts over 65 years old," Huang said. "Their expertise is precious and needed in China, so we are doing everything we can to help them stay longer."
The Chinese government has been encouraging foreign talent to the country. An expert believes that letting the senior foreign workers stay longer is more economical.
Liang Yucheng, a sociologist based at Sun Yat-Sen University, believes that foreign workers with high-level expertise are favorable both for the employers and the country.
"They will save us the expense, as their payment package is much lower than that of young high-level foreign talents," Liang said. "In most developed countries, the retirement age is around 70 on average."
The State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs refuses to comment on whether other cities in Beijing will follow Shanghai's policy.
