Armenia moves to abolish age limit for public service roles

The Armenian government has proposed sweeping legislative amendments to abolish the maximum age limit of 65 for holding public office across multiple sectors. The draft package, presented to parliament by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Lusine Kocharyan, aims to eliminate age-based restrictions in public employment.

The reform follows earlier changes to the Labour Code in 2023, which removed age as a lawful basis for terminating employment contracts. However, age caps have remained embedded in several sector-specific laws.

The proposed amendments would revise a range of statutes, including those governing public, civil, customs, and community service, as well as regulations related to parliamentary staff, non-commercial state organisations, vocational education, and personal data protection.

If adopted, employment decisions in public service would be based solely on professional competence, performance, and productivity, rather than age.

Officials say the initiative aligns with Armenia’s 2024–2040 demographic strategy, which seeks to promote active and dignified ageing while increasing the participation of older citizens in socio-economic life.

Separately, the legislative package would also allow certain categories of public employees to become foster parents and receive remuneration provided that no constitutional or legal restrictions apply. The move is intended to expand foster care as a key alternative to institutional child upbringing.