Butterfield Bank has asked 46 employees to consider early retirement as it looks to shed more staff.A bank spokesman said yesterday all of the employees targeted for possible early retirement were aged between 60 to 65.The spokesman told The Royal Gazette that accepting the early retirement packages was completely voluntary. And he said employees who elect to accept the early retirement packages were eligible to participate in the bank’s health care plan.“We confirm that we have offered early retirement to 46 employees in Bermuda aged 60 to 65,” the spokesman said.“Each employee’s decision whether to accept the retirement package being offered is voluntary and entirely his or her own.“If an individual employee chooses not to accept early retirement, it will have no bearing on his or her current role or responsibilities within Butterfield, or future opportunities he or she may wish to pursue within Butterfield.”The retirement age in Bermuda is 65 for men and women.In March, Butterfield, which employed around 700 people, cut 25 jobs across departments in what CEO Brad Kopp called a “painful day for the bank”, which he said “prides itself on its long-term employees”.Also this year, Belco offered 26 of its long-serving staff members early retirement as part of a cost-cutting effort.