Retirement at 67: How long Germans are allowed and want to work

Under the reform plans of the Grand Coalition the raising of the retirement age has been and continues to be the subject of controversy. Barbara Scheubel, Center for Economic Studies (CES), and Joachim Winter, University of Munich, examine the frequently raised argument that people are not fit enough to be able to work until 67. They analyse representative survey data from the Mannheim SAVE study about the expectations of the still-working population with regard to the individual ability of the elderly to work. They determine that the picture presented in the public discussion is too dire. The frequent rejection of an increase in the retirement age does not necessarily coincide with the diminished ability of the elderly to work.