In the current debate on pension reform, as in those that preceded past reforms, the question of people’s ability to extend their working lives – and that of the specific arrangements to be put in place for those who are unable to do so – naturally takes centre stage. The French pension system has long provided for various arrangements allowing people to retire early in such situations, whether by bringing forward the date on which they become eligible for a full pension – before having completed the required length of service – or by lowering the minimum age at which entitlement begins – that is, even before reaching the statutory retirement age under general law. These schemes have grown in importance over time: in 2020, nearly one in three people are already retired (most often under the early retirement scheme for long careers) by the time they reach the statutory age of 62, and around one in six also receive a full pension from that statutory age on the grounds of incapacity for work.
This issue of the ability or inability to continue working is usually addressed in the debate through the prism of two specific situations: that of people who started working at a young age, who are assumed to be more worn out by work, and that of people who have held jobs involving arduous working conditions. Attention therefore often focuses on two specific early retirement schemes: early retirement for those with long careers, introduced under the 2003 reform, and the personal prevention account, introduced under the 2014 reform.
