Chinese government is currently considering the pros and cons of raising the retirement age from 60 to 65. [Photo:qq.com]

A Chinese government official has confirmed it is currently considering the pros and cons of raising the retirement age, according to the People's Daily.

Wang Xiaochu, of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, says the government is studying the matter but no immediate changes are planned.

The retirement age is a major issue affecting people's incomes and there is a wide range of opinions on the matter.

Management level staff in government welcome the idea since their work is not overly stressful and they can still handle it even when they reach retirement age. Some specialist professionals such as doctors, lawyers and teachers also support the idea since their experience becomes more valuable as they get older.

Most opponents of raising the retirement age are low-level factory employees who work very hard but are paid very little. Their decent pensions mean they actually earn more when they retire so they're not in favor of having to wait longer for the day to come.

Other opponents include newly graduated students. They fear that raising the retirement age would put more strain on an already grave employment situation since extending people's working lives would mean fewer openings for them.

Yin Chengji, the spokesman for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, says the labor market in China is already oversupplied, with 24 million people entering the job market this year and competing for only 12 million jobs.

The current retirement age in China is usually 60 for men and 50-55 for women but for some special jobs that place extra stress on people over a long period of time, men can retire at 55 and women at 45.