Dissertation_Paula Aleksandrowicz_12 ... - Jacobs University

Figure 9: Annual numbers of recipients of early old-age pensions, pre-retirement
benefits and allowances 27
1800
36
in thousands of persons
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
pre-retirement allowances
pre-retirement benefits
early old-age pensions
employment rate of 55-64-year-olds
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
20
in
%
Source: MPiPS (2008: 53). Data for earlier years was not available.
In the second quarter of 2006, early retirees comprise 36 per cent of new applicants
among men, and 40.5 per cent among women (Zgierska 2007: 2). At the inception of early
old-age pensions for economic reasons in 1990, 50 per cent of first-time retirees utilised
them, and 40 per cent upon their termination in 1996 (Golinowska/Pietka 2003: 339).
Between 1999-2004, the share of early pensions among all old-age pensions has risen from
21 to 25.5 per cent (Woźniak 2007: 41).
As most women fulfil the requirement of 30 insurance years, the factual age of take-up
of the old-age pension was 55 years in 1992 and has risen afterwards (Table 7). Men retire
on average at the age of 59, owing to their over-representation in occupations entitled to an
early retirement pension.
27 Pre-retirement allowances were terminated from 1.1.2002 but preserved for persons who had registered in
employment offices before that date and had fulfilled the needed requirements
(http://www.praca.gov.pl/files/20030710165842.pdf).
82