Early retirement via part-time contracts for elderly plays a major role as an instrument to lay off parts of the labor force in a socially acceptable way in the metal and electrical industry. The according legal framework was complemented by arrangements made by the unions and employers’ associations that allowed for a reduction of staff by laying the elderly off into retirement. The high costs for the social security and pension system induced the government to raise the entry age in order to reduce the number of elderly taking part in the program. Consequently, the unions and employers’ associations are also in need to renegotiate the terms of their arrangements. The conducted survey will shed light on the current dispersion and the expected development of part-time arrangements for elderly in the metal and electrical industry and will be the basis for the needed discussion. In the current discussion about the reform of the pension system provides the survey a starting point for a first evaluation of the collective agreements on early retirement.
The main sources of information is a postal survey conducted by Ifo. 6.000 firms from the metal and electrical industry in Germany are included in the survey. Results for both the former East- and former West-Germany are provided.
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