Age does not protect against work: Bieler warns of retirement age!

Age does not protect against work: Bieler warns of retirement age!

On June 5, 2025, Helmut Bieler, Interimistic President of the Pensioners' Association of Austria (PVÖ), commented on the current debate about increasing the statutory retirement age. He emphasized that this increase is not necessary and rather the creation of jobs for people over 50 years as well as measures to maintain health in working life should be in the foreground. Bieler warned of the dangers that such a debate brings and found that older workers in Austria are particularly affected by long -term unemployment; A third of the long -term workless is over 50 years old, with a quarter even older than 55. Age discrimination in the economy was identified as one of the main causes of this problem. According to a study by the Chamber of Labor, over 25 percent of companies in Austria have no employees over the age of 60, and older employees are completely absent in 85 percent of small businesses, such as [ots] (https://www.ots.at/presseaus-sung/ots_20250605_ots0086/bieler-wer---------------- reported.

In order to counteract these challenges, Bieler called for a bonus malus system for companies that employ older workers or retire at an early stage. This could increase the incentives for the integration of older people into the labor market and counteract discriminatory tendencies. All pensioners' associations represented on the Austrian Senior Council support this claim and are against an increase in the statutory retirement age.

employee over 45 years are under pressure

The situation becomes clear by the results of a survey: Around 40 percent of employees from the age of 45 do not believe that they can stay at work up to the age of 65, especially in the construction and tourism industry. The unemployment rate is particularly high for those who are about to come, with 12.9 percent in men between the ages of 60 and 64 and 7.8 percent in women between the ages of 55 and 59. Compared to the total unemployment rate, which is 6.5 percent for men and 6 percent for women, these are alarming numbers. The Chamber of Labor has rejected the IHS boss Bonin's proposal to increase the age of 67, which further increases the demand for better working conditions for older workers, as well as [Healthy work] (https://www.gesundeben-nuke.at/arbeitängerchutz/Arbeitswerke/bestere- Working conditions-statt-Hoherem-pension age) emphasizes.

Average life expectancy is 84 years for women and 79.3 years for men, whereby life expectancy in good health is only 64.7 years (women) or 63.3 years (men). Employees in physically demanding professions often have lower life expectancy, which makes the need for an intervention.

funding and integration of older workers

In order to improve the chances of older workers on the labor market, the Chamber of Labor in Upper Austria demands age -appropriate jobs and better working conditions. These demands are in accordance with various initiatives that aim at better integration of older workers into the labor market. This includes, for example, integration subsidies, a combination wage regulation for older people and grants for further vocational training. These programs are necessary to counteract the effects of the increasing retirement age and to increase the employment opportunities of older people, as explained in the publication of Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. In view of these challenges and the demands of the various interest groups, the focus should be on a healthy and fair world in which older workers not only be integrated, but also estimated. This is the only way to reduce old -age unemployment in Austria in the long term.