On December 13, Czech President Petr Pavel signed a pension reform law, which among other things, increases the retirement age by two years — to 67.
The reform proposes a gradual increase in the retirement age to 67, while providing exceptions for certain groups of citizens. For example, workers in hazardous professions will be able to retire five years earlier, without a reduction in benefits.
In addition, starting in 2026, new retirees will receive pensions that are 100 crowns lower than they do now, but thanks to indexing, the real value of the pension will remain unchanged. The reform also introduces a minimum pension, which will be 20% of the average wage.
The conservative government of the Czech Republic successfully pushed through this reform despite opposition resistance. The authorities refer to demographic and economic studies, which warn about the current pension system’s inability to ensure stable payments in the future.
It is also argued that the reforms are necessary to provide sufficient financial resources for pension payments to the current generation of people aged 30-40 and older.
According to Eurostat, around 13% of retirees in the EU continue to work after reaching retirement age. In the Czech Republic, this figure is significantly higher — over 27%. The reasons are usually related to the desire to lead an active life or the need for additional income.
