HONG KONG - Hong Kong government Thursday proposed that the retirement age of new recruits of civil servants be extended by five years to 65.

A public consultation on the issue has been launched and will last for four months.

Secretary for the Civil Service Paul Tang said, "In face of the demographic challenges arising from an ageing population and a shrinking labor force, the government, being the largest employer in Hong Kong, considers it an opportune time to examine possible options for extending the working life of civil servants so as to enable us to better respond to such challenges."

As set out in the consultation paper, Tang said, the government proposed to adopt a higher retirement age for civil service new recruits as from a future date.

Specifically, it is proposed that the retirement age of new recruits for the civilian grades be extended by five years to 65. For the disciplined services, the new retirement age be raised from 55 to 57, but it may be further extended up to the age limit of 60 subject to an annual suitability assessment.

Suggestions also included the introduce of a new "Post- retirement Service Contract Scheme" for engaging retired civil servants on contract terms, on a targeted basis, to fill non-directorate positions for undertaking ad hoc duties requiring specific civil service expertise or experience.