Overview

• Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche argued rising life expectancy and demographic shifts make extending working lives toward age 70 unavoidable.
• July’s EU country-specific recommendations urged Germany to reduce incentives for early retirement and promote longer labour participation to stabilise pension finances.
• Skilled-trades associations are split: some back an age-70 threshold only with flexible mid-career hours, retraining and protections for physical jobs, while others demand penalty-free retirement after 45 years of contributions.
• A YouGov/Postbank poll finds about 54% of workers willing to stay employed past the statutory age—mostly part-time up to 70—while roughly one-third reject longer working lives.
• SPD leader Lars Klingbeil condemned any mandatory rise as unfair to physically demanding sectors and instead supports voluntary incentives like the Aktivrente and targeted exemptions.