Is the retirement age in Turkey low or high?

In an interview on Haberler.com with host Abdurrahman Yazıcı, Prof. Dr. Serap Durusoy answered questions regarding the retirement age in Turkey. She addressed whether the retirement age in Turkey is lower compared to European countries.

"THE RETIREMENT AGE IN TURKEY IS VERY HIGH"

Prof. Dr. Durusoy, who argues that the retirement age is high in Turkey, stated, "I think it is very high. It is very high, and of course, the biggest problem when you retire in Turkey is that you face a salary that is almost half of what you earned while working, so people naturally try to extend their working age. For example, I can say for universities that in newly established universities, you can work until the age of 72, but there are so many academics who want to work over the age of 72 and move to other newly opened universities. This, of course, shows that the significant gap between the salary during working life and the salary received after retirement leads to an extension of working life. Or the situation of retiring and taking a second job, that is, the situation of working in a second job, also arises, which can already be interpreted as a sign of salaries falling below the poverty line.

Host Abdurrahman Yazıcı asked his guest whether early retirement poses a risk of reducing productivity in Turkey. Academician - Author Prof. Dr. Serap Durusoy, who stated that productivity has been a problem in Turkey for years, pointed out that there is hidden unemployment in public institutions and said:

To be honest, productivity is indeed a serious problem in Turkey, but let's also say that there is especially hidden unemployment in the public sector. We cannot ignore this reality of hidden unemployment. Therefore, I believe that employing more qualified and educated young people, especially those who are proficient in technology, in the public sector after the unskilled and unqualified workforce is retired is important for becoming a healthier and more productive country. Unfortunately, the human capital part is weak in our country, but this is also related to the fact that the education of service workers in Turkey is actually weak in both the public and private sectors, in my opinion. Of course, if people in the workforce are offered a better standard of living from the gains during their working life, why would they feel the need to work until older ages, right? Well, then there is also a result that emerges from here. You touched on the poverty line, so you mentioned income distribution. The retirement age, of course, plays a very important role here, especially when compared to other countries. But at the same time, perhaps the retirement age in Turkey.