After the Croatian Parliament voted on amendments to the Pension Insurance Act, pensioners in Croatia are gaining significantly expanded employment opportunities.

From January 2026, everyone who has reached the age of 65 will be able to work full-time, but instead of the full pension they will receive only half of it. This measure was introduced due to the need to adapt the system, and it is expected that around 8,800 pensioners will take advantage of it already in the first year of implementation, writes index.hr.

Currently, there are 1,230,184 pension beneficiaries in Croatia, of whom 36,106 had used the option of working up to half of full working hours while simultaneously receiving a pension by the end of May. According to data from the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO), interest in work among pensioners is constantly growing; last year in the same period there were 31,028 of them.

Projections and new measures

The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy predicts that the number of pensioners working alongside their pension will grow and that in 2028 there will be more than 53,000 such employees. In addition, it is expected that by 2028 almost 6,000 pensioners will continue running a trade while receiving half a pension.

The provision on full-time work enters into force on 1 January 2026 so that the HZMO can successfully adapt to business processes and ensure the effective implementation of the law. The Ministry points out that the financial effects of these measures will be significant; it is estimated that by the end of the Government's term they will bring almost two billion euros.