Survey - Almost one in three want to retire earlier
Every third older employee wants to retire before the regular pension age from their job. According to a survey conducted in Berlin on behalf of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), around 31 percent of those aged 50 and above have such plans.
When asked what measures they would like to see to delay their retirement from employment, apart from a higher salary (66.5 percent), older employees mentioned above all more flexible work arrangements. This includes adjusting work hours to individual needs and more support for designing the retirement process individually. According to the survey by the Institute for Occupational Health Consulting, more than 70.3 percent of those surveyed expressed this wish.
Survey: CEOs value older employees
The Institute also questioned personnel managers and managing directors of over 300 companies. More than three quarters stated that the retention of older employees would be of great importance for their companies in the next three years. At 46 percent of these companies, more than a quarter of the workforce is expected to retire within the next five years.
However, there is still room for improvement in meeting the wishes of older employees. For example, only slightly more than half of the companies surveyed for the report offer more flexible working hours. Similarly, fewer than half offer the option of individually designing the transition to retirement. According to their own statements, this is not even offered by half of the surveyed employers. However, both the possibility of switching between part-time and full-time work and health promotion measures align with the employees' wishes.
TK appeals to companies
TK CEO Jens Baas stated: "Given the skilled labor shortage, it is essential for employers to focus more on the 50plus generation." Older employees are indeed a valuable resource for companies. "They possess extensive knowledge, are well-connected, and have often spent years at their workplace," Baas added.
Fabian Krapf, managing director of the Institute for Occupational Health Consulting, pointed to the "clear connection" between a positive corporate culture and the desire of employees to retire later: "Those who feel more respect, self-determination, and flexibility at work also work longer."
Health crucial for continuing to work after official pension age
As the TK report also shows, employees who are less sickly in their youth also continue to work longer in old age. The Institute for Applied Quality Development and Research in Health Care and the Health Sector has analyzed the claims data of over 420,000 TK-insured professional employees born between 1948 and 1956 who reached or died at the age of 67 between 2014 and 2023.
Among the employees who reported no sick days at all in the observation period of 2012, 14.1% were still employed at the age of 67, which is their regular retirement age. Among the employees, who were sick-listed for 43 days or more, it was only 7.1%. In 2023, on average, insured employees over the age of 50 at TK were sick-listed for 25.9 days.
- The survey conducted in Berlin by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TC) also looked at the preferences of older employees in Germany regarding labor market policies.
- Despite the value older employees bring to companies, such as extensive knowledge and long-term commitment, only half of the surveyed employers offer flexible working hours or the option to individually design the retirement transition.
- The survey results indicate that Berlin-based companies should focus more on the needs of older employees, particularly in terms of work arrangements, to retain them past the regular pension age.
- In line with the wishes of older employees, health promotion measures and the option for part-time and full-time work flexibility could significantly improve the attractiveness of continuing employment beyond the pension age in Germany.
