Press Release No. 35/2010 IG Metall Calls for an Expert Commission to Address Statistical Confusion Regarding Retirement at 67

Frankfurt am Main – IG Metall has warned of a confusion of figures in the upcoming review of the “retirement at 67” policy. “When assessing the actual situation of older workers, there is a risk of a battle over statistics and figures. That’s the last thing we need right now,” said Hans-Jürgen Urban, executive board member of IG Metall, on Thursday in Frankfurt. The union official therefore proposed an independent expert commission. This commission should consist of academics, union representatives, employers, as well as representatives from social welfare organizations and the government. “The independent commission must examine the figures presented by the federal government and determine what is really going on,” Urban demanded.

Federal Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) is using figures that, while not incorrect, obscure the true situation of older workers or even present it in the opposite light, criticized the IG Metall social policy expert. For example, he said, it is methodologically flawed to state that 45.3 percent of the population aged 55 to 64 is employed and to conclude from this that an increasing number of older workers are being employed in Germany. Only by breaking this figure down by individual birth cohorts can one understand what is really going on, Urban emphasized. Of those aged 64, only 21 percent have a job. However, this figure also includes the self-employed, civil servants, and freelancers. Actual employees make up just under 10 percent of this age group, and half of them are in mini-jobs, part-time positions, or temporary work.

The situation for older workers has actually worsened because their share in the low-wage sector is significantly higher than that of younger workers. “Behind the numbers lies a sobering reality. The federal government should not gloss over the situation of older workers at any cost,” Urban demanded. Many of the employed individuals cited by the Federal Minister of Labor are, in reality, unemployed people, Hartz IV recipients, and retirees trying to supplement their meager incomes.