It already takes 100 billion euros a year from the federal budget to save the pension insurance system from collapsing. And when millions of baby boomers leave the labor market in the next few years, even more money will be needed – and the younger generation will pay for it.
It is all the more problematic that the average retirement age is no longer rising, as was the case for a long time, but is falling slightly. After the introduction of the deduction-free pension at 63, this should not surprise anyone. And now new figures from the Federal Statistical Office show that in the public service of all places, where civil servants are financially secure in old age, the opposite of what the traffic light wants to achieve is happening. Namely to keep employees longer in working life. Only 21 percent of retirees will reach the statutory retirement age in 2021.
It is clear that a higher retirement age will not work for many – whether in the public sector or in the private sector. Deporting high-ranking police officers or soldiers to the offices to stamp files after 45 years of service cannot be the solution.
And there is no question that most roofers will not still be toiling on the construction site at the age of 73. Physically demanding jobs are often cited when unions protest against a higher retirement age. But that’s where the chain of arguments ends.
A survey by the opinion research institute Civey shows that around two thirds of those over 50 can imagine continuing to work when they retire. And according to a study by the Institute of German Economics, for many pensioners who have been working for some time today, it is not the additional income that plays the central role, but their own motivation.
More and more people in Germany are retiring early. This poses additional problems for the economy, which is already suffering from a labor shortage. Chancellor Scholz wants to counteract this.
Source: WORLD
With coercion, threats, taxes and levies, which are among the highest in the world, no change will succeed. Instead, it needs support and incentives; the elderly must be seen more as an opportunity and less as a burden.
Making the entry age more flexible and reducing bureaucracy are only a first step. Individually adapted working conditions, targeted further training, telework or integration into social projects should become the rule rather than the exception.
But naïve romanticization doesn’t help either. It has to be financially worthwhile to work longer. Lower taxes for workers beyond retirement age could be an option. After all, every additional year of work pays into the social system. In any case, ignoring the problem with regard to one’s own electorate cannot be the solution.
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