For many, retirement is considered as a finishing line. For some retirees, clocking off from that final shift signals the start of freedom and well-earned leisure. For others, however, retirement can mean losing a daily routine, valued colleagues, a sense of purpose – and even a part of their identity. This week, one part of the UAE unveiled an alternative way forward.
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, approved a plan to bring senior citizens, their spouses and retired people back to work part-time in the emirate’s public sector. The system will provide flexible options that include working three days a week or specific hours. There will also be job opportunities for social assistance beneficiaries.
The scheme’s goal, Sheikh Dr Sultan told a phone-in broadcast this week, is to bring retirees “back into the rhythm of everyday life – to give them a reason to get out, see the world around them, meet people, and interact with visitors and customers again”.
The emirate’s decision is an important recognition of something that employment systems have often overlooked: people do not suddenly lose their skills, experience or usefulness when they hit a particular age. Encouraging social participation like this is a vital way of telling people that they are still valued and needed.
Beyond the initiative’s societal impact, there is a practical economic argument at work here, too. People who have spent decades working in government and other institutions carry knowledge that cannot easily be replaced by a new hire. They often understand how systems work and where problems tend to arise. Retaining that institutional memory is a strategic asset for an economy such as the UAE’s, which is increasingly built around knowledge and technology.
Sharjah has already shown a willingness to rethink assumptions about working life. Its 2022 move to introduce a four-day working week for government employees and, more recently, a Dh20,000 minimum monthly wage for public-sector workers shows an emirate prepared to question whether older models of work still make sense. The retirement initiative announced this week belongs to the same conversation.
Other countries have explored similar ideas. Japan, faced with one of the world's oldest populations, has encouraged older people to remain economically active. Its network of more than 1,300 community-based Silver Jinzai groups help people aged 60 and beyond find part-time work and stay connected socially. Singapore has also developed policies aimed at extending working lives, with its Part-time Re-employment Grant providing financial incentives to employers that offer flexible options and career planning to senior workers.
Many labour systems still operate on the assumption that people work until a prescribed age and then stop, whether or not they want to. That thinking looks increasingly dated as people live longer, and remain healthier and professionally capable for longer. That is perhaps the most important principle behind Sharjah's experiment: choice.
