Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Retirement, long viewed through the lens of being a set date and age one needs to reach, is evolving among millennials who have a different vision of retirement. Without casting any aspersions on the serving government employees’ feelings, I reflect a view point for wider discussion both at government as well as at employees’ level. The employees will definitely take it as a viable solution for their children and the government will find it as a measure to curb unemployment. When we speak of retirement age from government jobs, we find that the debate between private jobs and government jobs has been a long standing one. Government jobs have long been a preferred source of employment. It is a fact that the government officers in India enjoy considerable power without corresponding responsibility. Government officers also enjoy other benefits like: Job security, less pressure at work place, better work-life balance (except a few jobs in uniform) etc. Serving in Government departments’ up to the age of 60 years (Presently) in no way is justifiable, when we have life expectancy at present of 70.9 years. The statutory retirement age at present 60 years is not an effective policy to curb the un-employment because by increasing the retirement age the employment opportunities of young become delayed and their advanced technological proficiencies cannot add to the advancement of the country. So what should be the age for retirement from government services needs to be looked at with a prospective approach and in view of the unemployment that is at the alarming stage. The highly educated youth are adding to the kitty of unemployed Indian population at a jet speed. And finding no jobs for sustainability are frustrations and diverting to the anti-social platforms. The youth unemployment rate in India has been rising steadily over the years, aggravated due to the Covid-19 impact on recruitment drives. In the April to June quarter of 2021, the youth unemployment rate stood at 25.5% for the age group of 15 to 29 as per the ‘Periodic Labour Force Survey’. The government has time and again come up with laughable alternatives and with the suggestions to look to the private sector for the jobs. As presently being employed in the corporate sector, I can vouch with authority that it is not an easy cake to get jobs in private sectors as mostly the private sector look for hiring skilled employees and a decimal number of fresheners. The private sector is the part of the economy that is run by individuals and companies for profit and is not state controlled. Therefore, it encompasses all for-profit businesses that are not owned or operated by the government. The government has surrendered and has shown its helplessness in providing government jobs to all the unemployed. When the 2014 promise of Modi Jee for providing two crore jobs every year has proved to be just a fuss and has clearly been declared by Amit Shah Je as ‘Election Zumla’, there is need to think of other measures to provide jobs in the government sector. Here I suggest to re-visit the policy of retirement age of government employees. This is the right perspective that has the potential of providing employment if the retirement age is re-considered. A government servant joining services in between the age of 20 to 30 years would be rendering 40 to 30 years in government jobs in the present scenario. And at the same time if he marries in-between 20-30 years and blessed with off-springs at due time, his off-springs will be of the age of somewhere 38 to 28 years at the retiring age. Normally during the span of this age in turn, the children of the employee should have married and should have been in a position to be self-sustainable. But having no job they are neither a support to their family nor they can think of their future prospects and this situation continuously worries the parents and it becomes a source of stress and strain both for the unemployed educated youth in the family and his parents. By the time employees reach their 50 or 55 years of age, they start worrying about the future of their children. Finding no job, parents have to spend a lot on their children to settle them but devoid of practical experience in any sector, parents’ remains always stressed about their investments and especially those who provide education to their children by obtaining bank loans. There are a number of departments where employees are selected on the basis of their academic qualifications and in such departments there should be an option if an employee obtaining retirement somewhere at the age of 55 years, his son or daughter if falls within the parameters of selection should be given priority in place of his retiring guardian. This will also not create a burden on the state exchequer as the difference in-between salary and pension of the retiring employees’ will add on as full salary of his incumbent. This way there will be no shortfall in the income of the family. This will also bring smiles in the family as the retiring employee will relax fully in his family to manage family affairs and his son/daughter will be becoming a responsible earning member of the family. Retiring early has its own pros also. Where it is potentially good for health, the more years we will have before health issues begin to limit our mobility. It also provides an opportunity to become boss of our own venture by starting a new career and a business if any we launch at age 50 to 55 years, could easily keep us intellectually challenged and out of mischief for another 20 to 15 years. That means up to 70 years, the life expectancy at present. Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway. The first 10 to 15 years of retirement are considered the best as people are generally younger and healthier.