A growing number of older employees in Germany are facing significant health restrictions that make working difficult, yet the hurdles for qualifying for a disability pension remain too high. This conclusion was reached by a study released on Thursday by the Institute for Work and Qualification (IAQ) at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The researchers are warning about the potential consequences of any further increases to the statutory retirement age.
Marketers and labor market researchers, Martin Brussig, compared data on employees and pensioners aged 58 to 65 from 2010 and 2023 for his “Age Transition Report.” The analysis showed that while older workers are, on average, healthier than their elderly counterparts who are already retired, their overall health has deteriorated since 2010. Brussig suggested that this indicates a segment of older employees who, under previous regulations, might have transitioned to early retirement. Because the requirements have become stricter, this option is often no longer available today. Many individuals are stuck in a vulnerable position-“too sick for compulsory employment, but not sick enough for the disability pension.”
The federal government’s Age Security Commission recently proposed raising the retirement age past 2031. Brussig considers this debate problematic unless there is a viable mechanism that allows health-compromised older individuals a smoother path to early retirement. He advocates short-term for making access to health-related early retirement easier, while calling for longer-term increased investment in prevention and rehabilitation efforts. Separately, a recent DGB poll indicated that only about half of employees believe they can work until the official retirement age.
