Occupations in Germany where people retire early

It's 6:30 a.m. in the gravel pit on the Harz mountain in Göttingen. The shift starts for Uwe Kersten and Axel Betecher. Kersten is 61 years old and has to work three more years before he goes to pension. Almost 3.100 people work in the construction industry in Göttingen district, and Uve Kersten is one of only 180 employees who are over 60 years old. writes Deutsche Welle.

"That doesn't surprise me," says Kersten. He knows many colleagues who, in their fifties, looked for quieter work, if they found it at all, or took early retirement. "It simply has to be said: the colleagues couldn't do it anymore. Their joints were completely worn out."

Many economic sectors were affected

This does not only apply to construction workers. A study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) confirms this phenomenon. "Many people who work for a long time in such occupations do not necessarily reach the retirement age. This means that they either retire early due to reduced working capacity due to health reasons or change occupations," explains Johannes Geyer.

At DIW, among other things, he investigates issues related to pensions. Construction jobs are not the only occupations with high workloads. "It's also about the psychosocial burden," Gajer explains and adds that such occupations include, for example, jobs in social fields or care.

Today, Uve Kersten has to replace the sieve on the large machine that separates the stones from the soil. To do this, he climbs over the conveyor belts and enters the interior of the machine. His colleague works outside and balances at a height of about five meters on steel ribs. "I've been doing this for 38 years and I'm noticing that I need more and more time to recover. Just five years ago, it wasn't a problem for me," says the 61-year-old. Then he would come home in excellent shape and still have the strength to play football or do something around the house.

Each additional year becomes more difficult

"Those who are really affected by raising the retirement age are those who have managed to age in their workplace because of good health," says Johannes Geyer. That group of the healthiest would be the one who, depending on the reform, would have to work another two or three years longer. That would be a particular difficulty, because each additional year should be looked at separately.

"Employees already carry with them the burdens of the past, which follow them, and they have also become even older," says Guyer. Thus, each subsequent year becomes even more difficult.

In fact, Uwe Kersten would have to work until the age of 67. However, as a person with a long insurance record, he can already retire at the end of 2029.

"For me, work is a part of life, a part of life. And it gives me fulfillment and meaning." He wouldn't want to work longer, though. "I also adjusted my life plan accordingly. I want to spend time with my wife, in my house and in the garden," explains this electrician for energy plants.

Adapt the pension to the difficulty of the job?

The Industrial Union for Construction, Agriculture and the Environment (IG BAU) is demanding that the retirement age of 63 be maintained. "If you look at the degree of difficulty of the work, it is completely unrealistic for colleagues to work until the age of 70," says Ralf Djuren, union secretary from southern Lower Saxony. Therefore, the retirement age should be linked to the workload.

According to Đuren, the classification categories could be modeled on those that exist for pensions due to incapacity for work. "Professional associations can certainly help here," he says, adding that the possibility of early retirement at the age of 58 was a good solution for difficult occupations, such as those in construction.

Another often-considered approach is tailoring jobs to older employees. However, in the conditions of the current lack of qualified labor force, this is also difficult. "Before, it was easier to assign easier tasks to older colleagues," says Uwe Kersten. "We don't have enough people for that today." Although compared to last year, the construction sector recorded a growth of two percent in the number of students on vocational training, "that does not even close the gap", says Đuren.

Modern machines as a solution

In the gravel pit on the Harz, the technique has been "proven", as Kersten describes it. Every repair, every preparation for commissioning is associated with hard physical work.

"I think the physical burden will always remain," says Kersten. Because the load does not depend only on large machines.

Even a day when he "just" sits behind the loader is a strain on the body. "Noise, shakes, dust all day long - that's not to be underestimated." There are also weather conditions. Whether it's plus 40 degrees in summer or minus 15 in winter, it works. Until retirement.

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