“To fight inflation, we should work even longer!” Across the Rhine, three eminent German economists have relaunched discussions on the retirement age. The academics Bernd Raffelhüschen, Stefan Kooths and Gunther Schnabl have publicly spoken out in favor of a new legal threshold at 70, in a context of labor shortages and significant price increases.
“The combination of demographic ageing, high debt levels and the energy transition will translate into an increased risk for price stability in the coming years”, they told the tabloid Bild. In their view, a more abundant labor market would make it possible to limit the rise in wages, and therefore that of consumer prices. In summary : “a later retirement would cushion the shock of inflation”, in the words of the conservative title.
Immediately after publication, other economists spoke out against such a proposal. “It is not a measure e