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Retirement at 65 fades as Murcia workers stay in jobs longer
Fewer people stop work before 65 as pension reforms push retirement later
Retirement at 65 is rapidly becoming a thing of the past in the Region of Murcia. New figures show that people are working longer than ever, with the average age of retirement now standing at 65 years and 6 months. Official data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reveal that the age has risen by almost a year since 2018, when the average stood at 64 years and 7 months.The trend is clear. Only 19 per cent of new retirees in Murcia left work before the age of 65 in the first seven months of 2025. Just seven years earlier, that figure was 30 per cent. The reason, experts say, lies in reforms introduced by government back in 2013, which gradually lifted the retirement age to 67. Right now, workers must have contributed to the system for at least 38 years and three months to retire on a full pension at 65. If not, they must wait until they reach 66 years and 8 months, a threshold that will rise again to 67 by 2027.
Added to this, the current government in Madrid has encouraged people to stay in their jobs longer. The aim is to reduce pressure on the public purse as the generation born in the 1960s and 70s begins to retire. These so-called baby boomers are generally entitled to more generous pensions and will claim them for longer than earlier retirees, as life expectancy across Spain continues to rise.
In Murcia, the highest pensions are paid out to those retiring before 65, with 3,533 beneficiaries receiving more than €2,000 per month. For most other age groups, monthly pensions tend to stay below €1,500.
Behind the numbers are individual stories. José Manuel Martínez, almost 68, is still working as part of Murcia’s civil service and is one of 135 regional employees who have signed up over the past five years to stay on beyond standard retirement age. “I could have retired at 65, but I am in good physical and mental condition, so I prefer to carry on,” he said. Martínez has already extended his service three times, explaining that continuing requires annual health checks and comes with financial incentives. For him, the decision also ties in with family circumstances, since his wife is still working and his children have yet to give him grandchildren.
Others have not welcomed the delays in retirement so positively. Marisol Cárceles, who will retire on Friday September 19 at 66 years and 8 months, says she would have preferred to finish at 65. She lost out on qualifying contributions because of time spent caring for her elderly parents, a burden she points out still falls disproportionately on women. “We have to retire earlier, because life goes by so quickly,” she said. “The older you are, the more wear and tear your body takes.”
What unites people like Martínez and Cárceles are different paths through the same reality: retirement is arriving later in Murcia, and it is reshaping both working lives and what comes after.
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Image: RDNE Stock project/Pexels
