On March 7th at 9:05 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – The numbers are quite clear: ten people retire and only six people enter the labor market. That raises questions. Will the pension system remain financially viable in its current form? How can productivity be maintained in society? Some who have found answers for themselves and simply continue working, but have to accept difficulties in order to do so. For the “Am Schauplatz” report “The Comeback of the Pensioners” – to be seen on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 9:05 p.m. on ORF 2 – Alfred Schwarzenberger was traveling in Austria and spoke to people of retirement age who, out of joy stay in the job, but also with those who have to continue working because otherwise they won’t have enough money to live on.
As always, Mr. Huemer is in a hurry, but he also likes to go to the sausage stand. At Debreziner and Salzstangerl, the 83-year-old from Linz says that he doesn’t have time for retirement: “I’m in the office four or five days a week, there’s a lot to do.” Mr. Huemer is a civil engineer and carries out static calculations .
Ms. Hildegard, she is 66, wants to retire now. She quits because she is no longer willing to pay all the taxes. “The young people I talk to say I’m stupid because I’m still working. And then the tax office takes my money.”
The tax burden is one of the reasons why many retirees decide against continuing to work, says Wolfgang Feichtenschlager. He founded the “60plus job exchange” in Upper Austria to place pensioners on the job market. “In some sectors, such as the healthcare system, it is no longer possible to compensate for the many departures in the normal way.”