Press Release No. 40/2010 IG Metall Warns of Deteriorating Employment Prospects for Older Workers

Frankfurt am Main – Hans-Jürgen Urban, social policy expert at IG Metall, has warned of a further deterioration in the situation for older workers. “In companies in the metal and electrical industries, employment opportunities for older workers are declining significantly. Eight years ago, 24 percent of all metal companies still had support measures for older workers; today, that figure is only 20 percent,” Urban said Tuesday in Frankfurt. There are increasing signs that, in the wake of the crisis, the industry is facing massive restructuring involving increased workloads, higher production speeds, and shorter cycle times. “Given the reality of the working world, it is completely incomprehensible that the federal government is sticking to its plan to raise the retirement age,” Urban explained.

According to a study by the International Institute for Empirical Social Economics (INIFES) commissioned by IG Metall, the health burden on older workers in the metal industry is rising. While last year about 24 percent of all salaried employees reported specific health complaints in the workplace, the figure was 30 percent in the metal production and processing occupational groups. The high number of older workers who are forced to leave the workforce early for health reasons demonstrates the impact of these health burdens. In 2008, the national average for disability pensions was 18.6 percent, but in metalworking occupations, it was 24.1 percent.