Reversible retirement: a new opportunity to reintegrate senior talent without giving up the pension

 

The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations is working on a proposal that could transform the current retirement model: reversible retirement. This measure, previously known as flexible retirement, aims to allow retired individuals to voluntarily reintegrate into the labor market without losing their pension.

What is reversible retirement?

The initiative proposes a profound change in the current regulations. Until now, retirees who decided to work had to give up part of their pension or receive only a reduced percentage.
With the new proposal, retirees could maintain 100% of their pension and also receive a salary for their new job.

The objective is twofold: to encourage the labor participation of individuals with extensive professional experience and to ensure greater sustainability of the pension system, in a context of population aging and shortage of qualified profiles in certain sectors.

Implications for companies

For companies, this measure can represent a strategic opportunity. Reversible retirement would allow the recovery of highly specialized senior talent without the current regulatory obstacles, facilitating:

• Knowledge transfer between generations.

• Temporary reinforcement of teams in sectors where experience is key.

• Flexible incorporation of qualified professionals without economic sacrifices for the worker.

Furthermore, this figure could serve as a mentoring and internal training tool, improving the productivity and human capital of organizations.

Limitations and challenges for the self-employed

Despite its general approach, the current project generates uncertainty among self-employed workers. According to the Ministry's drafts, their access to reversible retirement would be more restrictive:

• They could only partially reconcile work and pension.

• A limit of 20% on the pension while maintaining activity is being considered.

• It is being studied to require not having been registered as self-employed in the five years prior to retirement, which would exclude a large part of this group.

These restrictions could reduce the real scope of the measure among self-employed professionals, precisely those who could benefit the most from a flexible reintegration into the market.

Current status and perspectives

The proposal for reversible retirement is in the parliamentary processing phase. Although the Government foresees its approval before the end of 2025, the text could undergo modifications following criticisms from business associations and self-employed workers.
The success of the measure will depend on achieving a balance between the interests of workers, companies, and the sustainability of the public system.

Reversible retirement represents an important step towards a more flexible labor market adapted to the current demographic reality. For companies, it represents an opportunity to retain knowledge, optimize human resources, and promote senior employment, always within a framework of legal security and sustainability.