In 2026 the retirement age in normal working conditions is sixty-one years and six months for men and fifty-seven for women, figures that look small yet reshape the whole HR equation: contracts with near-retirement staff run longer, succession plans slip out of rhythm, and employer insurance costs grow with actual working time. HR departments can no longer plan with the old habitual milestones of sixty and fifty-five.
1. Governing instruments
The legal basis is Article 169 of the Labour Code 45/2019/QH14: the retirement age rises on a roadmap, three months per year for men until reaching sixty-two in 2028, and four months per year for women until reaching sixty in 2035. Around it sit Article 167 on labour contracts with elderly employees, early retirement conditions for arduous or hazardous occupations and reduced work capacity, and the pension entitlement rules of social insurance law.
2. Reading the roadmap correctly for each birth year
The commonest error is applying one retirement age to everyone reaching retirement in a year: the age is fixed by each person month of birth against the roadmap table, so two employees born in the same year but different months can retire at different moments. HR should list every employee within five years of retirement with birth month, sex and working conditions to compute the exact qualifying date per individual.
Workers in arduous, hazardous or dangerous occupations, in especially difficult regions, or with medically assessed reduced capacity may retire up to five years or more before the roadmap age under separate conditions, while highly qualified staff may agree to work beyond retirement age. These three groups need three distinct procedures, not one standard retirement notice template applied to all.
3. Rights of elderly workers and employer duties
An employee working past retirement age is protected by the elderly-worker contract regime: they may not be assigned arduous, hazardous work harmful to health without consent and qualifying conditions, and may agree shortened hours or part-time arrangements. Nor may the employer unilaterally end the contract merely because the employee reached retirement age where pension eligibility is not yet met or no agreement exists.
On insurance, a pensioner who keeps working under a new contract carries a different social insurance contribution regime from a non-pensioner, and the employer must pay an amount equivalent to its contribution duty into the employee income as prescribed. HR must coordinate with insurance accounting to avoid double or missing contributions, both of which draw arrears and penalties when insurance inspectors cross-check age data against contribution data.
4. How companies should adjust workforce planning
The most direct effect is a stretched age curve: key posts held by older staff fall vacant one to two years later than old plans assumed, slowing promotion paths for the succession layer and risking the loss of strong mid-level talent tired of waiting. Succession planning must therefore move from fixed age milestones to per-person qualifying dates, with knowledge handover plans carrying explicit deadlines.
On the positive side, the rising retirement age retains experienced staff amid hard hiring markets; companies should design advisory and part-time internal training roles for the near-retirement group, lighten heavy workloads and invest in occupational health checks to protect productivity. The extra medical and insurance cost of an older workforce belongs in the HR budget from 2026 onward, not as a surprise when each case falls due.
5. Frequently asked questions
What is the retirement age in 2026 for men and women?
In normal working conditions, men qualify at sixty-one years and six months and women at fifty-seven in 2026, under the Article 169 roadmap of the Labour Code 45/2019/QH14. Each person exact age follows their birth month against the roadmap table; the end points are sixty-two for men in 2028 and sixty for women in 2035.
Elderly workers: what rights and company policies apply?
Older employees work under a dedicated contract regime: no assignment to arduous or hazardous work affecting health without consent and qualifying conditions, with options for shortened hours or part-time work by agreement. The employer cannot unilaterally terminate merely on reaching retirement age where pension conditions are unmet, and must handle insurance contributions correctly for pensioner employees.
Early retirement: what conditions and benefits apply?
Workers in arduous, hazardous or dangerous jobs, in especially difficult regions, or with medically certified reduced work capacity may retire before the roadmap age, subject to conditions and corresponding years of social insurance contributions. The pension is reduced for years taken early, save certain special cases, so employees should be advised to model the figures before deciding.
How should firms adjust workforce planning and succession training?
Move planning from fixed age milestones to each individual qualifying retirement date, listing staff within five years of retirement with birth month and working conditions. The stretched age curve delays key vacancies by one to two years, so set deadline-bound knowledge handover and part-time advisory roles for near-retirees to keep the succession layer from leaving out of frustration.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council