SINGAPORE — The number of public servants working past the age of 65, ahead of legislation mandating this, has grown to close to 3,000, about three times of that in 2014.

Releasing these figures yesterday, the Public Service Division also said that about nine in 10 public servants who turned 62 and who wanted to carry on working after their retirement were offered re-employment during the period from July 2011 until the end of last year.

About 1,300 mature public officers who retired at age 62 last year were rehired, it added. And as of Dec 31 last year, the public service — which is one of the largest employers in Singapore — has hired some 2,900 public officers aged 65 and above.

From July this year, the re-employment age will be raised from 65 to 67, and employers will no longer have the option to cut employees’ wages at the age of 60. Under changes to the Retirement and Re-employment Act that were debated and passed in Parliament in January this year, employers can allow consenting, eligible employees to be re-hired by another employer.

Earlier, the Public Service Division had already signalled that it was taking the lead in this area, as it formally offered re-employment to eligible officers until they are 67 years old. In a 2014 press statement, it said that 800 public officers turning 65 in 2015 were set to benefit from this move.

It had studied the recommendations made by the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers on extending the re-employment age, and in making the decision to extend this age by two years, it had also consulted the ministries, statutory boards and public sector unions.

Before these changes, public agencies were voluntarily re-hiring officers beyond the age of 65 as long as they wished to continue working and could contribute to the work of the agencies.