The planned retirement age is currently 67 years. However, many people leave the labor market earlier – Scholz wants to change that.
Berlin – “It is important to increase the proportion of those who can really work until retirement age.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to ensure that fewer people retire before reaching the statutory retirement age. “That’s difficult for many today,” Scholz said Funk media group and the French newspaper Ouest France on Sunday (December 11).
According to calculations by the Federal Institute for Population Research, more and more people in Germany are retiring early. Many stop working at the age of 63 or 64. However, the standard retirement age is 67. At the same time, the German economy is suffering from a shortage of workers.
Scholz (SPD): In addition to later pensions, the proportion of women must be increased
“We can absorb some things by creating better starting opportunities for young people and investing in vocational training and further education,” said the Federal Chancellor. It is also important to increase the proportion of women in the labor market. This should be made possible with the expansion of all-day offers in crèches, day-care centers and schools.
However, that alone is not enough. “In addition, we will also need immigration from other countries in order to be able to secure our prosperity,” emphasized the Federal Chancellor. He pointed to forecasts that by 2035 there would probably be a shortage of seven million skilled workers in Germany and, against this background, also defended the traffic light coalition’s plan to make naturalization in Germany easier.
Pension: Scholz (SPD) wants to create better conditions for migrants
The federal government had recently begun to reform German migration policy with several legislative proposals. The plans of the Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faser (SPD) envisage, for example, that migrants will be able to get a German passport after five years instead of eight years – the prerequisite is that “you can speak German, earn your own living and have not committed any crimes,” says Scholz.
This is intended to bring German migration policy into line with international standards – in many countries you can get citizenship after just five years. “For a long time, those who immigrated to Germany were treated as if they would leave the country later – obtaining citizenship was not the priority,” he said. “But we have long been an immigration country.” (tt/afp/dpa)
Next year many things will change for pensioners and depositors. What could change – here at a glance.