English abstract
This study analyzes the attitudes of retired people towards the ement benefits and services that they receive from the Pension Fund for Civil Servants. It also aims to reveal retired people's economic and social situations and the problems they face. The research methodology adopted in this project relies on the social survey method and the questionnaire format. The questionnaire comprises 72 questions covering several areas. A sample of 125 Pension Fund for Civil Servants beneficiaries (97 males and 28 females) have been interviewed in the Muscat region. The SPSS software has been used in this study to analyze the collected data. T. Test and ANOVA measurement systems have also been used to evaluate the variables, the types and the causes of retirement, as well as the qualifications of the retired people and the areas of the current study.
The study reveals that half of the retirees have ceased working because of having reached the age of retirement, which is 60 years, while the other half have done so for other reasons, particularly as a result of resignation. Most of the retirees' attitudes towards the retirement benefits are negative. The study has shown that the basic salary they are getting is very low and does not guarantee a decent livelihood. The beneficiaries suggest that it would only be fair for the retired to receive all of the allowances in addition to the basic salary. The study has also discovered that while the pension funds are dispensed to the retirees with ease and regularity, the services they receive remain insufficient. Therefore, the participants in this study require further services, such as the organization of a Pensioner Day, the setting up of a system which offers jobs for those who are capable of working, the creation of an association for retired workers, and by offering interest-free loans.
The study puts forward a number of recommendations, such as raising the minimum pension salary by including all the allowances the workers received during their active life, unifying and integrating all the civil pension programs to ensure fairness and equality for all citizens. It also recommends increasing the retirement age to 65 years, opening branches of the Pension Fund for Civil Servants across the regions and governorates in the Sultanate, activating the information role of the fund, preparing the workers who are about to retire through courses which sensitize them to their future social and economic life, creating an independent association for retired workers and finally by exempting retired workers from all government fees.
