Back with a mini or midi job?
Lindner: Pension at 63 only “decommissioning bonus”
07/22/2023 11:13 am
While economic experts want to solve the shortage of skilled workers with immigration, Finance Minister Lindner is thinking about the capacities in the country. In theory, millions of people would be available if they weren’t already in early retirement.
In view of the shortage of skilled workers, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner wants to get more women, older people and social security recipients into work. There are “millions of people who are theoretically available for the labor market, but who live on social benefits,” Lindner told the Funke newspapers. “We have to encourage these people to enter the job market with at least one mini or midi job.”
Further measures are a later retirement and an increase in part-time work. “Why don’t we set incentives so that people want to work longer – instead of financing their pension at 63?” said the FDP leader. The pension at 63 – which had been enforced by the coalition partner SPD – is a “commissioning bonus for qualified employees”, criticized Lindner. In addition, “better childcare” must be offered in order to overcome “unwanted part-time work”.
Lindner was critical of models for a further reduction in working hours. “Discussions about the four-day week will not help us to be able to finance our social level and our environmental standards in the long term,” he said.
“Bock at work” only generalization
Lindner, meanwhile, criticized the remark made by Steffen Kampeter, general manager of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), that younger people in particular were not “in the mood for work”. The Minister of Finance said: “The generalization is wrong. We also have many younger people who want to make economic progress and are in the mood for performance.”
In view of the shortage of skilled workers, the President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Moritz Schularick, recently advocated more immigration as a measure against the shortage of skilled workers. “Our biggest competitive disadvantage is not corporate taxes, but a lack of skilled workers and demographics. We need a million migrants,” said Schularick of the “Rheinische Post”.
There must be a corresponding openness in the country for this to happen. “That would be the most important structural reform. It requires courage to change,” said the economist. “We would also have to expand early childhood education to keep mothers in the labor market. If we can do both, I’m optimistic for the location.” From the point of view of the “business wise man” Monika Schnitzer, Germany even needs 1.5 million immigrants a year.