Extended Working Life policies; gender and health implications in Ireland
In recent decades the European Union has promoted Active Ageing and the OECD has strongly encouraged governments to introduce policies designed to extend working life (EWL) as a means of addressing population ageing and anticipated increased pension costs. From 2012 onwards, Ireland has introduced several such pension reforms including raising state pension age, – now 66, to increase to 67 in 2021 and 68 by 2028. Pensions are now linked more closely to time spent in paid work, by increasing the number of contributions required for a minimum pension, increasing the number of bands and paying less to those with fewer contributions.