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Women in Switzerland will soon have to work an extra year.
Two hikers at Seealpsee in Appenzell (archive image)
Photo: MANUEL GEISSER / imago images
In the future, women up to 65 should also work in Switzerland.
That was decided by the National Council, the second chamber of parliament, after an intensive debate.
Her retirement age had previously been 64.
This step is intended to stabilize the state pension fund (AHV) financially until 2030.
The Greens and the Social Democrats spoke out unanimously against it and had demanded that profits from the National Bank be used instead to provide additional funding for the AHV.
The retirement age for men remains unchanged at 65. For women who are 58 years of age or older, ie the first six years, there should be compensation for the soon longer working hours.
The AHV money could become scarce because life expectancy has increased by more than ten years in the past 50 years and there are fewer and fewer people in employment per pensioner.
The Swiss pension has three pillars: the state pension, a compulsory occupational pension into which employers and employees pay, and tax-subsidized private savings for retirement.
As soon as the law is published in the Federal Gazette, opponents can try to overturn it by referendum.
To do this, they would have to collect 50,000 signatures within 100 days.
Raising the retirement age for women has already failed several times at the ballot box, most recently in 2017. 26 years have passed since the electorate last approved an AHV reform.
nek / dpa
