Spain's 'Austrian backpack' pension plan back at centre of 29N pensions debate
With pensioners worried about cuts and young people unsure they will ever get a pension, company-funded individual schemes have long hovered over Spanish politics. Ahead of the 29N elections, we examine the situation.
The Austrian backpack, officially named "abfertigung neu," was introduced in Austria in 2003 as a way to supplement workers' traditional redundancy pay and build a safety net for retirement. This system is not just a pension fund, but also serves as severance pay for workers who might lose their job. When an employee leaves a company, they can choose to keep their fund in an individual account to supplement their public pension during retirement.
The Austrian backpack's returns are modest, averaging around 2%, and it can be invested more aggressively by the employee if they choose to. This system provides the worker with individual savings and a safety net should they change jobs, become unemployed or decide to start their own business. The Austrian backpack also retains the worker's contributions even if they change employers, symbolizing the concept of a "backpack" carrying their savings with them.
In Spain, the debate over the Austrian backpack's implementation has gained traction ahead of the general election on November 29. With public debt nearing 100% of GDP, Spain is already facing a challenging economic environment characterized by high unemployment rates and low wages. The topic of pensions is particularly sensitive, as pensioners fear their benefits may be frozen or lose purchasing power while young workers worry about the future of their retirement savings in an uncertain job market.
Written by urgent.news from Euronews's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
