Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (Spö) has re -placed the pension debate with his interview in the “Krone”. He spoke to putting more pressure on companies to keep the elderly employed. Little with you to increase retirement age. A glance at the exact figures does not give him completely wrong.
According to Marterbauer’s statements, IV President Georg Knill again went public to 68 with the demand for a noticeable increase in retirement age. Above all, the resistance immediately came from the employee’s side. “Above all, we must increase the employment rate in the years before retirement,” says Spö Social spokesperson and trade union member Josef Muchitsch. The figures agree with him:
Chamber of Labor takes on companies
The Chamber of Labor also has support for the demand for a bonus malus system levied by Minister of Finance Marterbauer in the “Krone” to put pressure on employers who do not employ the elderly. A glance at the facts shows how necessary these measures are, says AK director Silvia Hruška-Frank.
The AK welcomes the government planned by the government. “But here there are still no major measures for which there should be more movement on the side of the economy,” said the AK director. Companies need prevention and rehabilitation measures that disease and inability to work and a qualification offensive prevent older employees from opening.
The approximately 46,000 companies with more than ten employees employ 3.1 million people, but are only 137,000 between 60 and 64 (100,000 men, 40,000 women). That corresponds to 4.4 percent. A quarter of the 25,000 central and larger companies with more than 20 employees have no 60 to 64 year olds at all. The logical consequence: two of the five people go back directly from unemployment. The situation is even more dramatic for women. A third does not go with retirement of paid employment. This share is even higher among employees. This situation threatens to become tighter due to the increasing retirement age.
Another thorn in the eye of the industry is partly. This is also remarkably high in Germany. In 2023, every eighth man (13.4 percent) and every second woman (50.6 percent) only worked part -time. That is 1.4 million of all 4.5 million employees. Not everyone does it voluntarily. 205,400 part employees want to increase their working hours, which is almost every seventh. However, the wish for less working hours per week is more common: according to Statistics Austria, 21.3 percent (659,300) of all full -time employees wanted to reduce their working hours, even if a financial loss should be accepted.
Little willingness to work in old age
The willingness to work more in old age is also limited. Only 76,500 of the currently non-employees between 55 and 74 would once again want to use employment. That is only 5.6 percent. Even in the group of 55 to 59 year olds, not even every fourth (23.6 percent) explained that they would in principle want to use a job again, with the 60 to 64 year olds only every twentieth (5.7 percent).
“It is not possible that at the end only the employees make their contribution, and companies must also ensure that people can remain healthy until pension,” said AK director Silvia Hruška-Frank.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
