Katherina Reiche: “We have to work more and longer”

According to Economic Minister Katherina Reiche, the Germans have to work longer and more. “The demographic change and the increasing life expectancy make it essential: the working life has to rise,” said the CDU politician of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.

“In any case, it cannot go well in the long run that we only work two thirds of our adult life and retire a third,” said Reiche. Unfortunately, too long, too long for demographic reality. “We have to work more and longer,” said Reiche. There are many employees in physically exhausting professions. But there are also many who wanted to work longer.

Companies told her that their employees worked 1800 hours a year at the US location, but only 1340 hours in Germany. “In international comparison, the Germans work little on average,” criticized Reiche. What is in the coalition agreement of reforms will not be enough in the long run. “The social security systems are overloaded. The combination of non -wage costs, taxes and taxes no longer make the work in Germany competitive in the long run,” said Reiche.

Criticism of the statements comes from the CDU social wing. CDA federal vice Christian Bäumler sees Reiche as a foreign body in the federal government. Your claims would not have a basis in the coalition agreement. “Anyone who, as Minister of Economy does not realize that Germany has a high part -time quota and thus a low average annual working time, is a miscarriage,” he said.

The Social Association of Germany (SOVD) also criticized. Due to a possible credo that people could work longer, there should be no “an increase in the retirement age through the back door,” said SOVD CEO Michaela Engelmeier. Stabilization of the pension system can only bring employment insurance that includes civil servants and MPs in the statutory pension.