International Day of Older Persons in Hungary

Budapest, October 7 (MTI) – Older persons are often pensioners who are full of vitality and keen to contribute resources not only to their family and close circle but to the country as a whole, Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog said on Friday.

Balog noted at an event marking International Day of Older Persons at the Pesti Vigadó that 17 percent of Hungary’s population is aged above 65. Thanks to lifestyle changes and developing health services, the expected number of healthy years left increases each year by several months, he added.

The government has made lots of effort to improve living standards for old people, for instance by preserving the purchasing power of pensions, Balog said. The scheme dubbed Women 40, enabling women to retire after 40 working years, has “given 170,000 grandmothers back to their families” and thanks to a job protection scheme, some 400,000 over-55-year-olds hold jobs, he added.