This is how pensions will stay in Alicante in 2023
In Alicante, retirement patterns are shaped by more than a rising legal retirement age. The local labor market, with its seasonal swings and gaps caused by tourism and traditional industries like nougat and footwear, influences when people leave work and how they fund their later years. The latest Social Security data reflect both ongoing reforms and the province’s distinctive employment cycle, highlighting how seasonal employment shortens career spans for many professionals in the region.
During the first five months of the year, the proportion of Alicante residents receiving a contribution pension reached a notable 65.2 years in age — specifically, 65 years and two and a half months — surpassing 2019 by several months. This shift aligns with a staged increase in the normal retirement age mandated by law, advancing from 65 years and eight months up to a threshold of 66 years and four months for those who cannot reach the maximum contribution period that allows full pension entitlement. Today, the retirement pension is tied to a defined contribution period of 37 years and nine months.
Pension access remains fixed at 65 for those who pass the maximum contribution period, though the required period has grown since 2019, when it stood at 36 years and nine months.
This provincial portrait sits within the national frame, where the average retirement age is 65, but it also reveals clear provincial differences. Alicante’s residents typically exit the workforce earlier or later than the national average, reflecting local economic realities. In practice, Alicante’s working population tends to retire with a mix of early and standard retirement timelines, placing the province among others in a gradient of retirement ages.
Retirement ages by province are summarized below. In some cases, workers in the Foral Community leave the job on average at 64.3 years, while Teruel records 64.4 years, comparable to Asturias, Burgos, or Álava. Conversely, some regions show later retirement, with Orense at about 65.7 years, Tenerife and Ceuta following at around 65.6, and Malaga, Murcia, Las Palmas, and Melilla near 65.4. Almería and the Balearic Islands sit around 65.3.
A Alicante-wide trend places the province among the ten where retirement is delayed the most, matching the pace of nearby regions such as Badajoz, Granada, and Lugo.
Seasonality
Seasonal factors play a major role in Alicante’s pension dynamics, notes a regional training official from l’Alacantí i les Marines. The economy relies heavily on tourism, with traditional crafts such as nougat and shoes contributing to uneven work periods. This seasonality prevents many workers from saving enough time to reach the standard 65-year retirement or to access early retirement without compromising pension levels. An analysis led by the Provincial Social Graduate School, with input from the head, Maria Antonia Olivea, emphasizes that the base contributions vary across states, resulting in lower starting points for some.
First-half retirement in Alicante sometimes results in smaller pensions — for example, the average early-retirement payment this year stands around 1,241 euros, roughly 16% below the 1,474-euro figure seen among early retirees elsewhere in the country.
Looking at starting pensions by age reveals that the highest early pensions occur among workers who retire before 60. Some professions enable earlier exits—miners, aircraft pilots, local police, and firefighters—pulling average pensions to about 2,662 euros. In contrast, those who extend their careers past 70 are fewer in number, averaging around 722 euros, illustrating how many stay employed due to the relatively modest pension gains from delaying retirement.
In Alicante, a notable development shows a minority of workers delaying retirement to continue contributing, with some pursuing the option to increase benefits through cash or checks. This practice has gained traction as a sensible strategy for well-compensated professionals who can stay in the workforce a few more years. In public administration, the effect appears even more pronounced. So far this year, nearly 8% of Alicante retirees are over 67.
Debates about further postponement stress that different professions face distinct physical and mental demands. Yolanda Diazis, general secretary of UGT in l’Alacantí i la Marina, cautions that any future policy must account for these varying conditions to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
In terms of incentives to delay retirement, four-figure payments are common. The first four months of the year saw 11,143 workers choosing to delay their retirement in exchange for government-approved incentives, a figure that mirrors or exceeds patterns from recent years. While many defer retirement for larger pensions, a smaller group accepts a one-time incentive. The average payment accepted this year stands around 20,489 euros, and new rules now allow both incentives to be combined for greater flexibility.