14 000 Namibians work well past 60
More than 14 000 Namibians were working beyond the age of 60 when the 2023 national census was conducted, including hundreds who remained employed into their eighties.
Labour researcher Herbert Jauch told Namibian Sun on Monday that the figures reflect the absence of pension coverage for most Namibian workers.
“Only a small minority of employed people enjoy a pension scheme or some form of retirement annuity, whereas the vast majority has to rely on the state social pension, and it is clearly not enough,” he said.
“Retirement often does not mean that they can stop working. Pensioners need to look for additional income-generating activities to make ends meet," Jauch added.
“It is also a sign of failure if people are forced to work beyond the age of 60 simply because they cannot make ends meet," he said.
Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) figures show that 14 293 people aged 60 and older were employed at the time of the census.
The census recorded 424 employed people aged 80 or older, with the number of working Namibians aged 70 and above totalling 2 648.
Of those employed past the official retirement age, 8 223 were between 60 and 64, while 3 422 were aged between 65 and 69. Another 1 538 were between 70 and 74, while 686 were aged from 75 to 79.
Men accounted for 8 753 of the employed people aged 60 and older, compared with 5 540 women.
Urban areas recorded 8 130 older workers, while 6 163 were based in rural areas.
Khomas had the largest number at 3 666, followed by Erongo with 1 788 and Otjozondjupa with 1 696.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing employed 3 759 people aged 60 and older, while manufacturing employed 1 640, and 1 421 worked in wholesale and retail trade.
The occupational figures show that 2 651 were skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, while 2 597 performed elementary occupations.
Another 1 877 worked in craft and related trades, and 1 307 were employed in service and sales occupations.
Jauch said older people performing physically demanding work may no longer be able to cope with the pressures involved, particularly in agriculture, construction and manufacturing.
“This is absolutely not in line with decent work," he stressed. "It is not in line with the needs of older people.”
The census does not establish why each person continued working or distinguish between those working out of financial necessity and those who chose to remain economically active.
Why 60?
Reaching 60 does not automatically prohibit a Namibian from working, but it is the age when people qualify for the universal old-age grant and the normal retirement age for members of the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF).
Namibia introduced its social pension in 1949 for white citizens before extending it to other racial groups at different benefit levels.
The National Pensions Act of 1992 established 60 as the pensionable age for men and women, while payments were equalised across racial groups in 1994.
The threshold is therefore a legal and policy choice rather than a medical determination that people can no longer work at 60.
GIPF members normally retire at 60, although early retirement is possible from 55.
The International Labour Organisation’s Social Security Convention No. 102 historically treated 65 as the standard retirement age.
Universal support
The 2023 Population and Housing Census found that 136 916 of Namibia’s 756 339 households were headed by people aged 60 or older. Among them, 94 891 included at least one child younger than 18, with women heading 59 477 of these households and men heading 35 414.
The old-age pension was the main source of income or livelihood for 90 455 elderly-headed households. Subsistence farming supported 16 797 households, while salaries and wages were the main income source for 15 120.
Only 1 583 elderly-headed households identified a GIPF pension as their main income source, while 914 relied primarily on pensions from former employers.
Jauch called for a national pension scheme that would guarantee workers a reasonable income after 60.
However, he cautioned that Namibia’s high level of informal employment could leave many people outside a contributory system.
He also renewed calls for a universal basic-income grant, saying it would ease pressure on elderly people whose social pensions support entire households.
“We urgently need the introduction of a national and universal basic-income grant. It would provide a basic income for everybody and reduce households’ reliance on social pensions,” he said.
NSA manager for welfare and labour statistics, Linda Shitenga, said the agency could not provide a formal and informal employment breakdown because the 2023 census did not capture that distinction.
Namibia and South Africa make old-age social grants available from 60, although South Africa’s grant is subject to income and asset tests. Botswana’s universal old-age pension is available from 65.
The United Kingdom is raising its state pension age from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028, while Americans born in 1960 or later qualify for full retirement benefits at 67.
China has been gradually increasing its retirement age since January 2025 from 60 to 63 for men, while the thresholds for women will increase from 55 to 58 in white-collar employment and from 50 to 55 in blue-collar work.
Eurostat found that 10.2% of old-age pension recipients in the European Union were employed in 2023, while 13% continued working after receiving their first pension.
