AVS Reform: What If Switzerland Moved Beyond Retirement Age?

Switzerland does not want to raise its retirement age. Voters rejected the Liberal Youth initiative for a retirement age of 66 by roughly three to one, and a cited MIS Trend survey found that 82% of Swiss respondents oppose increasing the current limit.

The legal retirement age remains 65 for everyone. The Federal Council appears to have accepted that political reality: its AVS 2030 proposal, open for consultation until mid-September, leaves the retirement age untouched.

That leaves the central question of how to finance the old-age insurance system as the population grows older. The editorial argues that proposals to radically reshape the system are unlikely to win a majority in parliament or at the ballot box. Instead, it suggests replacing age as the main criterion with years of contributions.

Under that model, retirement would depend on how long someone has worked. A bricklayer who starts at 18 would not retire at the same age as a university professor who enters the labor market at 28. The proposal would account for the physical demands of work and for differences in life expectancy linked to education and occupational status. It could also give greater value to Switzerland’s dual vocational training system.

The model would need adjustments for people with less linear careers, and technical obstacles would have to be addressed. Its political appeal, the editorial says, may lie in its potential to bring left and right together. Stéphane Rossini, formerly a national councillor and vice president of the Socialist Party, previously promoted the idea in parliament. Last year, Céline Amaudruz, vice president of the Swiss People’s Party, narrowly lost a vote in the National Council on an initiative that would replace retirement age with years of contributions.