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Date Published: 29/05/2025

Spain introduces early retirement at 52 years old... but only for these jobs

The new rules will benefit those working in some of the toughest and riskiest professions in Spain

Over the past few months, Spain has been shaking things up when it comes to retirement, making it easier for older people to approach their non-working years as they see fit and encouraging active retirement options for those who want to keep a toe in the water.

The latest move, announced on Tuesday May 27, will allow early retirement for those in their 50s. But don’t pack up your desk just yet, as the scheme only applies to some of the toughest jobs out there.

The new regulations will allow early retirement at just 52 years old for workers in some of the most demanding and dangerous professions.

This move aims to settle what many see as a long-standing debt to certain industries that have been campaigning for years to retire earlier, just like others already can. It is the first step in setting some general rules, with each profession expected to negotiate the specifics down the line.

The Minister for Inclusion, Elma Saiz, has welcomed the measure, saying it "brings Spain closer to policies approved in countries such as France, Austria and Italy."

That said, there is still plenty of work to be done. The regulations approved this week mainly outline the core criteria that will be used to decide which jobs qualify: arduousness, toxicity, dangerousness and unhealthiness.

To decide who gets in on this new retirement age, officials will look at data like sick leave frequency, workplace fatalities, permanent disabilities and how long workers tend to stay off work due to illness.

According to the Ministry, requests to start the application process for early retirement won’t come from individuals but from unions, employers’ associations or self-employed workers’ groups.

The four criteria are pretty straightforward. Jobs that involve heavy lifting, loud noise, constant vibrations or extreme temperatures, or that involve handling chemicals, are considered particularly hard. Dangerous jobs are those where accidents are all too common.

Toxicity refers to regular exposure to harmful agents, whether physical, chemical or biological. And unhealthiness points to professions where occupational diseases are often part of the package.

Early retirement isn’t entirely new in Spain. Seafarers, miners, regional and local police and flight attendants already had access to it. What’s changing now is that a wider group of workers is being added to the list.

This includes construction workers, chambermaids, the National Police, the Guardia Civil and healthcare professionals.

There are even more professions that could benefit down the line. Health personnel, chemical industry workers, divers, forest firefighters, freight drivers and public sector transport workers are all being considered for early retirement under the new rules.

How to apply for early retirement

If you are part of one of these groups, the magic number is 52. That’s the age at which early retirement becomes an option, assuming the profession’s eligibility has been formally recognised.

However, the application for early retirement must go through the Directorate General for Social Security Management and can only be submitted by a representative group, not by individual workers.

It’s also important to know that early retirement comes with a cost. These professions will be required to pay a higher contribution to Social Security, which will be shared between the employee and the employer.

In other news: Spain to ban smoking outdoors

Image: Pexels

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