Early retirement carries the risk of losing skills, Section 27 warns

The government’s plan to offer public sector workers early retirement risks a skills flight and will not free up enough money to tackle understaffing in health and education, civil society group Section 27 said on Thursday.

The National Treasury announced in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday that Cabinet had approved a R11 billion package to encourage early retirement among civil servants to reduce the wage bill and make way for younger talent…