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Health in old age: Discover new ways to be able to work!
Find out the latest findings on disability pensions and their development in Germany, presented on February 24, 2025.
Health in old age: Discover new ways to be able to work!
On March 9, 2025, the age transition report from the Institute for Work and Qualification (IAQ), published in collaboration with the Hans Böckler Foundation, was presented. The core results show that health restrictions are increasingly leading to early retirement from working life. While the standard retirement age is gradually being raised to 67, many employees do not reach the old-age pension and instead switch to the disability pension (EM pension).
By analyzing new entrants to the EM pension from birth cohorts between 1945 and 1955, the influence of increasing age limits on the age transition and social security becomes clear. Around 160,000 to 180,000 people have received an EM pension every year for around 20 years. Despite this high number, the share of EM pensions in all pension-related additions is declining. While in 2004 the EM pension additions for those aged 60 and over still accounted for around 15%, in 2021 it was already over 40%.
The challenges for employees
The study points to the increasing importance of the EM pension, especially in view of the closing early retirement options and the increase in age limits. In the youngest birth cohort, born in 1955, people switch to the EM pension at an age at which previous cohorts have already switched to the old-age pension. Prof. Dr. Martin Brussig explains that many employees are unable to extend their working phase up to the normal retirement age due to health problems. These strict personal performance requirements for the EM pension indicate that an increasing number of those affected are unable to keep up.
Brussig suggests using health performance in a long-term job as a measure of earning capacity. The discussion of the research results is led by experts such as Dr. Susanne Drescher, Michael Popp and Prof. Dr. Martin Werding accompanied. An online discussion took place on February 24th in which the results were discussed in greater depth.
Health promotion in old age
In addition to the challenges of age transition, the importance of health promotion and prevention for older adults is becoming increasingly clear. Demographic developments make it necessary to strengthen and maintain the general health resources and resilience of this age group. Prevention aims not only to avoid but also to delay illnesses, the need for care and health problems.
Effective health interventions must be tailored to the field of action and target group. Older adults can benefit from these programs even as they age. A variety of literature references and studies on the topics of health, illness and prevention in older people are provided. Reports from the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Statistical Office of Germany are part of these valuable resources.
The results and information from these reports also provide important insights for the future of pension provision in Germany and underline the need to respond to both personal and structural challenges.
For further details and information about the research results and desired links, please visit the pages: uni-due.de, econstor.eu and leitterme.bzga.de.