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Photo: DPA

More Germans than ever take early retirement

Published: 31 Jan 13 15:10 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20130131-47683.html

More Germans than ever before are taking early retirement, according to new figures released on Thursday. A record number put their feet up early in 2011, opting to take a reduced pension in order to enjoy more free-time.

Some 337,000 people, or 48 percent of all Germans who retired in 2011, did so before reaching 65 - the highest number ever, according to figures released on Thursday by the Rentenversicherung Bund (DRV), which operates Germany's state pension system.

Health-workers, teachers and truck drivers were among those most likely not to work up to the retirement age of 65, said the DRV. More of those stopping work early were women, the figures suggested, with the share of female early retirees up from 36.1 percent to 51.7 percent in 2011.

Whether the trend is a result of workers opting for a reduced income in return for more leisure time in their 60s is hard to determine, as no definite statistics exist on why people stopped work early. Some workers could have been forced out or encouraged to take early retirement when firms cut jobs.

However, the statistics did show that many workers taking retirement early had been ill or unemployed previously, whereas others had worked up enough money to afford the drop in income.

In general, those retiring early had earned above average salaries while working, while many others had inherited substantial sums.

But it could mean few people receive their full pension in the future, as Germany is in the process of slowly hiking its retirement age to 67.

DAPD/The Local/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

15:24 January 31, 2013 by Berlin fuer alles
Lazy Germans don't want to work (BILD).
15:58 January 31, 2013 by icedearth
No. I do not think so. The way the Germans treat money allow entitle them to retire at 65. Good for them. Enjoy life!
17:02 January 31, 2013 by smart2012
So funny how to turn things:

More people in early retirement cause now retirement is at 67, before was at 63...

Second, those guys have to retire earlier as there is no job for them...

I have many examples in my company.

All the best
19:45 January 31, 2013 by Steve1949
Yes, except those who had good paying jobs there will be many more Germans scratching every € together to make ends meet each month.
20:58 January 31, 2013 by Englishted
You have not seen what is coming when the €400 ,mini jobs and agency worker try to retire on basically nothing. Then the social security bill will go though the roof as they have not been able to put anything into the pension pot and even less to save for the old age .

You have been warned.
22:55 January 31, 2013 by pepsionice
Across the street from my place in Germany....there's this older German management guy who was let go a year ago. He's around 56, and there's basically no company that will hire him....period. So they will play around with him for another year, before they admit that he is unhireable. I would be the first to admit that after age 45....if you get pushed out the door in Germany....it's next to impossible to find a decent job. You need to do everything possible from forty on....to cooperate and make the boss happy. Otherwise, this early retirement deal with thirty percent less retirement pay is your only option.
23:04 January 31, 2013 by chicagolive
When you have a job market with no liquidity but at the same time extremely low wages. You can save all you want but you will starve in the end. That is Germanys problems the government will not say this because it might tarnish their image. Ask some social workers or AWO people what they see and it is a entirely different country. Their are millions living below poverty, the thing is if they are not on the street and the buildings look all the same. The people never really speak to each other, most will never know how bad conditions are.
23:23 January 31, 2013 by smart2012
Chicagolive: "People never speak to each other". this only in Germany, likely in other countries they do. See history.. People in dachau said they did not know about concentration camp, but they were supplying bread, shoes, coal etc etc
07:21 February 1, 2013 by RainerL
Well" I say that we are already ahead of Germany. Australians are expected to retire later than 65 being 67 years for some time now. This is with an exception for people born in certain years who are allowed to retire accordingly. In my case for example it will be at 65.5 years of age as I was born in 1954

Ok if one was to get a decent Pension. But Governments just don't want to pay. They are All too busy just taking......
07:27 February 1, 2013 by Englishted
In Brazil everyone retires at 53 ,just thought I would shock people with that one.
13:25 February 1, 2013 by ichbines
Germans should do what Americans do, retrain for something that is needed in the workplace. It is getting easier and easier to do this in Germany, of course you have to be mentally and physically healthy. Its a myth that you can't be hired over 50. You only need a sell able skill and German employers will hire you. They are sorely hurting in many technical fields.
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