‘Cancellation of early retirement would not affect current enrollees’

AMMAN — Draft amendments to the Social Security Corporation (SSC) law would “in no way” affect the current conditions for receiving early pensions for the corporation’s current and previous subscribers, the SSC said on Saturday.

“Those entitled to early retirement may still do so in accordance with the current law,” SSC Spokesperson Mousa Sbeihi said in a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Sbeihi explained that a decision to cancel early retirement would only cover first-time SSC subscribers once the draft law goes into effect. 

The goal of suspending early retirement is to change society’s viewpoint on the phenomenon and to enhance a culture of continuous work, rather than early withdrawal from the job market, Sbeihi said, noting that 113,000, almost half the 233,000 SSC’s covered retirees, are early retirees. 

The phenomenon in question has lowered the average retirement age at which SSC subscribers receive their pensions to 52, which drains the corporation’s financial resources, Sbeihi highlighted. 

He underlined that the cancellation of early retirement would present SSC beneficiaries with the chance to receive “worthwhile” pensions in the future by maximising the period of their subscription, while guaranteeing the SSC’s financial sustainability and the continuation of its social and economic role. 

The decision would also protect workers in the future and support their stability within the job market across various economic sectors, in addition to enhancing the SSC’s contribution towards achieving productivity and cohesion, according to the statement.