On 13 September 2023, Austria’s ruling coalition (conservative ÖVP and Ecologist parties) voted on September abolish the ‘blocked progressive retirement’ model by 2029. Opponents, notably the trade unions, see this as a further tightening of an employment policy aimed at keeping older workers in employment for as long as possible before the statutory retirement age.
In 2000, Austria introduced a publicly funded system of part-time retirement (Altersteilzeit) with which employees could choose between two options: progressive retirement and ‘blocked progressive retirement’. Regular progressive retirement can commence from up to 5 years prior to the statutory retirement age (65 for men, 60 for women), and can therefore be spread over a maximum of 5 years. During the chosen period, employees can reduce their working hours by between 40% and 60% and in...
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Article authors
Thomas Schnee
Freelance