The retirement age and maintenance of social programmes are key topics in the discussion about the future of the Polish pension system. The president of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), Zbigniew Derdziuk, and political leaders, including Donald Tusk, mention to issues that have a direct impact on the lives of millions of Poles.
Raising the retirement age is simply a subject that regularly returns to public debate. The Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz mentioned the anticipation of specified changes.
I'm not ruling out raising the retirement age. We request to make conditions for seniors, especially seniors, to work longer," said the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz in early August. Her words in the “Onet Morning” program echoed widely.
She later withdrew from these words, claiming that there was no political will for it today.
The retirement age requires debate
ZUS president Zbigniew Derdziuk stressed in “Super Express” that this subject requires serious debate. presently the retirement age is 60 years for women and 65 years for men, but according to experts specified as Prof. Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak from the SGH, raising the age to 67 years for both sexes is inevitable.
Derdziuk pointed out that raising the retirement age became a necessity to guarantee the stableness of the social safety system.
He added that citizens should be aware of their options in terms of saving for retirement, including the anticipation of utilizing worker Capital Plans or Individual Pension Accounts.
Donald Tusk on Social Programmes
The Civic Platform Leader, Donald Tusk, addressed questions about social programs introduced by the Government of Law and Justice. During his gathering with the Kłodzka residents during the run before last year's parliamentary elections, he declared that "nothing given will be taken away", referring to the concerns of voters that programmes specified as 500+ could be liquidated after a possible triumph of the opposition.
Tusk pointed out that his position was not only an election promise, but a rational approach to social policy. He stressed that changes that affect the lives of families must not be made hastily in order not to undermine the financial stableness of citizens.
Tusk pointed out that the government must think about future generations and act in a liable manner so as not to ruin the state's finances. The decision on the future of social programmes, as well as the pension system, is, according to the PO leader, a question that will find the destiny of the country for decades.
Demographic challenges
One of the most crucial challenges for the Polish pension strategy is demography. According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS) data, the population of Poland will decrease to 30.9 million by 2060. specified a population decline, especially in regions specified as Silesia, will have a immense impact on the pension system, which is based on a increasing number of people of working age.
In addition, the demographic ageing rate, i.e. the ratio of people over 65 to the full population, will increase from 20.9% in 2025 to 32.6 percent in 2060. This means that less and less people will gotta finance benefits for an expanding number of pensioners.
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