Early retirement rates have been on the rise in the state since 2017.

This figure is a far cry from the Troika years, from 2011 to 2014, when early retirements were even higher than voluntary ones, but it confirms a trend that began to emerge in 2017. Last year, a further 615 employees decided to retire early – up just 6,010 – from 2021 and 1,228 more than in 2020, the year the pandemic was declared, according to TdC.

It is worth remembering that new schemes for accessing superannuation pensions came into force in 2017 and 2020, with age flexibility, particularly for workers with a long covered period (eg 46 years of contributions). Meanwhile, the normal age for receiving an old age pension has been rising since 2014, reaching 66 years and four months this year.