Increasing the retirement age : can the Dutch experience be applied to Thai socio-economic and cultural context?

Abstract

This qualitative research aims at investigating the issue of increasing retirement age in Thailand by using the Netherlands’ experience with retirement age reforms to apply it to the Thai context, focusing on cultural and socio-economic factors. The results from 17 Thai and one Dutch interviewees, together with those from the literature review, show that the issue is perceived differently in Thailand and Thai contextual factors directly have effects on people’s thinking on increasing retirement age in many aspects; 1) Education that supports planning and savings is quite limited, therefore, people focus on accumulating wealth for their future retirement, 2) Supports from the government are not adequate which leads to self-reliance and “make-money as much as you can when you can” and 3) Family is a major influence having direct effects on continuing working after 60. For the majority of workers in agricultural and non-public sector, family is considered the last source of welfare. Nevertheless, the lessons learned from the Dutch experience, most notably the importance of close cooperation with the private sector, provide valuable insights.