Social Security reform has opened the door to working more years. The door to early retirement will remain half-closed

Spain’s Social Security will launch a new flexible retirement rule on August 28, allowing retirees to combine partial pension payments with part-time work.

The government says the measure is designed to extend working lives voluntarily and help contain pension spending.

However, it will not change early-retirement penalties, which critics say still reduce pensions for workers with more than 40 years of contributions.

The government argues that removing those cuts would cost billions.