Minister of Labor and Social Protection Natalia Plugaru said that the Government is currently not discussing an increase in the retirement age, which in the Republic of Moldova is set at 63 years. The statement was made on July 22, ahead of the Government meeting.
“We are not discussing today the possibility of increasing the retirement age, which currently stands at 63 years. Indeed, when we talk about the deficit in the social insurance budget, we need to ensure that we have more contributors, as well as a broader contribution base to the social insurance system. This can be achieved by increasing the employment rate. Today, not everyone who can work is active on the labor market. Therefore, all those who can work and contribute to the social insurance budget should do so,” the minister said.
Natalia Plugaru also noted that the employment rate in Moldova is currently around 55–57%, while the average rate in the European Union is approximately 75%.
“If we had the number of employed people contributing to the social insurance budget at least at the EU average level, the social insurance budget would not have such a deficit,” she added.
Regarding the draft law on pensions for military personnel and public officials with special status, the Labor Minister reiterated that the reform will continue in the form previously presented and that, until now, there has been no established retirement age for these categories.
“There was no retirement age there. We are introducing a retirement age of 45 years, which will gradually increase to 50 years by 2036. At the same time, understanding that there are institutions and positions with increased risks — such as penitentiaries — we propose maintaining the retirement age at 45 years for these employees, without increasing it,” Natalia Plugaru said.