Hundreds of millions of people in China are set to enter old age in the coming decades while the birth rate dwindles dramatically.
The national population fell in 2023 for the second year in a row, with policymakers warning of potentially severe impacts on the economy, healthcare and social welfare systems if action is not taken.
China's retirement age had not been raised for decades and had been among the lowest in the world.
"The statutory retirement age for male workers will be gradually extended from the original 60 years to 63 years," a decision by Beijing officials shared by Xinhua said.
For women workers the retirement age will be extended "from the original 50 or 55 years to 55 and 58 years, respectively", depending on the type of job.
The retirement age will begin to be gradually raised over 15 years from 2025, state media said.
"Starting 2030, the minimum year of basic pension contributions required to receive monthly benefits will be gradually raised from 15 years to 20 years at the pace of an increase of six months annually," Xinhua said.
The new rules will also allow Chinese people "to postpone retirement to an even later date if they reach an agreement with employers", it added.
The move was based on a "comprehensive assessment of the average life expectancy, health conditions, the population structure, the level of education and workforce supply in China", state media said.
- 'An inevitable choice' -
An expert told AFP that "demographic change" was likely the key factor behind the decision.
"The central government first proposed changing the retirement age in 2013, and there has been a lot of social discussion in the decade since," said Li Changan, a labour economist at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
"I think many people are mentally prepared for the announcement."
And prior to Friday's announcement, state media had published articles touting the proposed retirement age.
"This reform will adapt to the objective situation of our country's widespread increase in life expectancy and years of education," an article in the People's Daily newspaper said this week.
It will also "raise the efficiency of the development and utilisation of human resources," the article in the Communist Party-run outlet said.
Mo Rong, director of the Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, told the People's Daily that raising the retirement age "is an inevitable choice for our country to adapt to the new normal of population development".
Chinese internet users flocked to social media to discuss the announcement, where related hashtags on the Weibo platform racked up well over 200 million views in less than an hour.
But government censors appeared to scrub many posts from the site -- a common occurrence in a country where open discussions of national policy are often deemed sensitive.
Many responses to posts by state-run media accounts on Friday afternoon said simply, "Got it" or "It's official".
But some hinted obliquely at dismay with the decision, with one user quipping: "As long as we still get to choose whether or not we actually retire, I have no objections".
Others bemoaned a perceived lack of clarity over how much longer those born in the 1990s and 2000s would have to work compared to preceding generations.
Germany has agreed to open the doors to 250,000 skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers in a controlled and targeted labour migration deal.
Kenya is struggling with increasing difficulties in providing work and sufficient income for its young professionals, while Germany is facing a shortage of skilled labour.
Five Kenyan bus drivers have already been welcomed to Flensburg, in the north of Germany, in a pilot project.
Migration agreements are a central pillar in the German government's efforts to curb immigration.
The agreement will also simplify the repatriation of Kenyans who are in Germany without legal permission.
Immigration is a huge issue in Germany at the moment, following the rise in popularity of the far-right anti-immigration party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Successive governments in Berlin have allowed relatively large numbers of asylum seekers to settle in the country in recent years.
Germany took in more than one million people, mostly fleeing war in countries such as Syria, during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, and has received 1.2 million Ukrainians since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The labour deal was signed in Berlin by Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kenya's President William Ruto.
Germany agreed to ease some of its immigration laws to enable Kenyans to find employment in Europe's biggest economy.
Authorities in Berlin will also consider extending temporary residence permits for Kenyan workers who have secured an approved job.
Kenyans will also be issued with long-term visas to study or do vocational training in Germany.
"On the expiry of the long-stay visa, Kenyans may receive a temporary residence permit for study purposes in Germany for up to two years," the agreement states.
The temporary residence permit may be extended if the purpose of residence has not yet been achieved but is achievable within a "reasonable" period, it adds.
According to the deal, IT specialists from Kenya will be allowed to enter and work in Germany, even if they do not have formal qualifications.
Both governments will support the immigration of skilled workers who have finished vocational training or earned a university degree, as long as their qualifications are recognised by the relevant authorities of the other party.
The European country needs more nurses but critics say it should not deprive Kenya of much-needed medical professionals
The deal also includes provisions for the readmission and return of citizens between the two nations.
It spells out guidelines to prevent and fight against labour exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking.
While welcoming five Kenyan drivers in Flensburg on Thursday, Schleswig-Holstein's Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen said Germany was in need of hard-working hands and clever minds.
"We simply have to position ourselves in Germany in such a way that it is attractive to come here," Mr Madsen added.
The drivers are the first batch of Kenyan workers, who will be trained by the Aktiv bus company in a pilot project, hoping to get a job in Germany.
Doctors, nurses and teachers are among those expected to take part in the programme.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) said the deal was expected to significantly increase access to decent foreign jobs for Kenyan workers in Germany and address labour shortages in Germany.
"It includes mechanisms to protect the rights and welfare of Kenyan migrant workers in Germany, ensuring safe, orderly, and productive migration," ILO added in a statement.
But there are concerns about a brain-drain in Kenya with professionals like doctors and nurses going abroad for jobs, leaving local hospitals with a huge shortage of medical workers.
"It is sad that we are going to service other countries at the expense of our own country," Ekuru Aukot, a Kenyan lawyer and politician, told the BBC's Newsday programme.
But Roseline Njogu, a senior foreign affairs official, said Kenya was simply responding to the global labour market demands.
"We have a youth bulge in Kenya and every year we have a million people joining the local labour market. It takes time and resources to create job opportunities at home," she added.