Labor market and age: How about a thank you

D The Union should finally stop with its drivel that people have to work longer, i.e. more hours in the day and more years in old age. Because Compared to the EU, Germany is already the country with the most older employees. On the one hand, of course, this has to do with demographics; the age pyramid thickens at the top and slims down at the bottom. On the other hand, there is also the fact that the statutory retirement age has already been pushed back further. So it is by no means the case that too few older people work too little.

Expressed in terms of age, it looks like this: Of the 41 million employed people in this country in 2024, almost 10 million were between 55 and 64 years old, i.e. almost a quarter of the people who provide the gross national product. Across the EU it is around a fifth. That’s a lot too, but the population is aging in all other countries too, not just in Europe.

Nevertheless, people in Germany retire on average at just under 65 years of age – usually in accordance with legal requirements. Because the full pension at 67 only applies to those born in 1964 or later. Anyone who was born earlier can and was able to tell their employer that they have arrived earlier. Except for those who have to give up earlier for health reasons and have to accept discounts.

In any case, many will People also over retirement age go out to work – some because they enjoy the job, but many do out of financial necessity. The price explosion on the rental market and in the supermarket, higher social security contributions and increases in the price of medication (which older people need more often than younger people) do not make life any easier, regardless of whether you go to work in the morning or not. Parts of the federal government may not be able to imagine this, but that is the reality of most people in this country. Maybe Black and Red should just say thank you instead of insulting working people more and more often.