40% of German workers doubt they can work until retirement, DGB survey shows
A new DGB survey reveals that 40% of employees in Germany do not believe they can continue in their current job until the statutory retirement age, with rates exceeding 70% in plumbing, nursing, and construction.
Survey findings
A new evaluation of the DGB-Index Gute Arbeit, based on surveys of nearly 28,000 employees between 2022 and 2026, reveals deep pessimism about working until the statutory retirement age. Only 53 percent believe they can continue their current job until retirement without restrictions, while 40 percent do not expect to make it. DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi called the results a "bitter finding."
It is a bitter finding: four out of ten employees do not believe they can hold out until retirement under current working conditions. In trades, nursing, construction, or childcare professions, it is even more than half.
Sector breakdown
Doubt is concentrated in physically and psychologically demanding occupations. Among plumbing and heating workers, 72 percent do not expect to reach retirement in their current role. Hospital nursing follows at 71 percent, elderly care at 67 percent, building construction at 66 percent, and childcare workers at 57 percent.
- Plumbing and heating
- 72 %
- Hospital nursing
- 71 %
- Elderly care
- 67 %
- Building construction
- 66 %
- Childcare workers
- 57 %
Causes
The survey links the bleak outlook to working conditions. Of those who frequently perform heavy physical labor, 72 percent anticipate leaving the workforce early. Among workers exposed to high noise levels, 61 percent share that expectation, and 59 percent of those under constant time pressure feel the same. Long hours, limited autonomy, and a lack of workplace health promotion further worsen the outlook.
Political debate
The findings land as Berlin debates the future of the statutory pension system. This week, leaders of the CDU/CSU and SPD announced they intend to swiftly implement the 33 reform proposals put forward by the government's pension commission. The package includes linking the retirement age to life expectancy, abolishing the so-called "Rente mit 63" (retirement at 63 without deductions), and expanding the circle of contributors. The government has signaled it wants to raise the retirement age, while the DGB survey reveals a gap between policy ambitions and workplace realities.
Fahimi urged the government not to ignore the survey's realities. She argued for better working conditions and flexible transitions instead of further raising the retirement age.
Instead of raising the bar for retirement age ever higher, we need dignified transitions into retirement and healthier working conditions. No one can want entire generations to drag themselves into retirement sick and then simply accept deductions.
