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Elderly gentleman (in Cottbus 2019): If the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) has its way, the retirement age should be increased to 70 years
Photo:
Patrick Pleul / dpa
The German Economic Institute (IW), which is close to the employer, has proposed an even higher retirement age.
"With a continued increase in the standard retirement age up to 70 years from 2052, the increase in contributions [...] could be slowed down and the security level stabilized at the same time," says a short report by the institute.
One possibility is mentioned to increase the retirement age from 2031 by two months a year.
This is justified with the increasing life expectancy of people.
The problem arises from the fact that in the long run too many recipients face too few contributors.
A few years ago the IW called for retirement at the age of 70, now it is underpinning this stance with new model calculations.
The Scientific Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Economics recently proposed raising the retirement age to 68 years by 2042, which was rejected by the Union and the SPD.
Laschet rejects raising the retirement age
"The pension systems need a certain reliability," said the Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet.
It is clear that »at some point we may have to think about changing working hours as well« - we are currently retiring at 67.
From the perspective of the IW, however, the advisory board proposal does not go far enough.
"68 is not enough," says the short report.
Study author Jochen Pimpertz refers to other EU countries: In Denmark, an age limit of 68 years will apply from 2030 and in the Netherlands the pension at 67 is already a reality today.
"In addition, both countries adjust the retirement age in line with rules as life expectancy continues to rise."
In Germany, the retirement age will gradually be raised from 65 to 67 by 2029.
It was a great achievement of the federal government with the then SPD labor minister Franz Müntefering to decide on the pension at 67, said Laschet.
The new federal government is faced with the task of securing the pension system for the period after 2030, said Laschet.
hba / dpa
