Despite the shortage of skilled workers and many early retirees, Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil does not believe in raising the retirement age even further. “Increasing the retirement age further to 69, 70 or 75 is wrong and unfair, because that would mean a real pension cut for many people who simply cannot work that long,” said the SPD politician to the “Rheinische Post”.
The statutory retirement age of 67 years from 2031 is already very high in international comparison, said Heil. Setting it any higher would be at the expense of the younger generation. “I don’t want that, and the traffic light in the coalition agreement ruled that out.” The “decisive battle for the future of pensions” will be fought on the job market. “In addition to mobilizing domestic groups, we need a lot more qualified immigration,” said Heil.
At the weekend, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for an increase in the proportion of those who can really work until retirement age. There is also “potential for increase” in the proportion of women in the labor market. But all-day offers in crèches, day-care centers and schools would have to be expanded.
Heil: Companies have to hire more older people
According to calculations by the Federal Institute for Population Research, more and more people in Germany are retiring early. At the same time, the economy is suffering from a labor shortage.
Heil said that companies in this country would also have to hire more older people. “Many employers no longer hire people over 60. This is an attitude that we can no longer afford,” he told the “RP”. Better health promotion is necessary for this, said the SPD politician.
The CDU party leader Friedrich Merz once again supported Scholz’s demand to ensure fewer early retirements. In the RTL program “Nachtjournal Spezial” he said that from 2025 the baby boomers would retire. “By this time at the latest we need a solution.” However, the CDU leader did not want to speak out for a pension at the age of 70.
