The chairman of the German employers’ association thinks it is reasonable for people with office jobs to retire at 70.
Stefan Wolf, CEO of Gesamtmetall, called for a higher retirement age in Germany in an interview with German public broadcaster SWR.
“A factory worker who works very hard may not work until he is 70,” he said, “but someone who works in an office may work until he is 70.”
In Germany, the age at which policyholders can receive an old-age pension without deductions will be gradually increased from 65 to 67 in 2029. In the SWR interview, the head of Gesamtmetall said that more, not less, needs to be done to increase German competitiveness.
He also rejected the demands for a four-day workweek with full pay. In the metal and electrical engineering industry, the workweek is already very short, namely 35 hours. That should not be shortened any further, he said. “I am not against a four-day workweek, I am against a shortening of the workweek.”
Gesamtmetall is the umbrella organisation of employers’ associations in the metal and electrical engineering industry. In Germany, around four million people work in the industry.
