According to data from the Pensionsversicherungsanstalt (PVA), the retirement age has now risen again by half a year after years of stagnation – for both men and women. Men retired in 2021 at an average age of 61.8, women at 59.8.
The PVA sees a reason for the increase in the expiry of the so-called deduction-free Hackler scheme, as a result of which people who previously opted for this early retirement now started their AOW later. A second reason is the temporary rehabilitation money. Many of these recipients have been invited for a reassessment and have later started their disability or disability pensions.
The pension gap between men and women has narrowed
Notably, the so-called gender pension gap has narrowed again in 2021, after it had widened the year before. Women who retired in 2021 received an average of 1529.59 euros, 59.22 percent of the average men’s pension (2588.77 euros). In 2020, the average pension amount was 56.30 percent compared to men.
In the PVA, this is justified by the fact that pension amounts for men rose significantly more in 2020 than for women as a result of the Hackler Scheme, from which almost only men benefit. In 2021 this effect was no longer present – on the contrary, the average old-age pension for men actually decreased minimally (minus 0.23 percent), while that for women increased by 4.96 percent. This also reduces the pension gap.
Positive effects of the pandemic
Although the number of applications for a disability or disability pension rose again in 2021 by 3.3 percent to 45,801 cases, it has not yet reached the pre-Corona level of 51,454 applications in 2019. The PVA attributes this to the fact that the heavy use of home office options and the existing short-time working arrangements during the pandemic have clearly reduced the stressful situation.
Baby boomers are retiring
Due to the recovery of the economy and the labor market, the annual average of compulsory insured persons in 2021 exceeded the pre-pandemic level by more than 3.5 million. The number of pensions has increased in both 2020 and 2021 due to the baby boomers who are now retiring. In 2021 (2,058,323 pensions) with a plus of 1.3 percent due to higher mortality, less than in 2020 (1.8 percent).
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
