Uprising of the young: pensions in danger – who will save our system?

Uprising of the young: pensions in danger – who will save our system?

This Monday, October 27, 2025, the ARD talk show “Hart aber fair” will be broadcast at 9 p.m. with an explosive topic: “Uprising of the young: Will the pension become unaffordable?” Moderator Louis Klamroth will host the program live from Cologne, which will be shown until 10:15 p.m. The focus is on the upcoming challenges caused by demographic change and its influence on retirement provision. Various guests, including prominent representatives from politics and society, discuss the pressing questions surrounding pension reform and the fair distribution of funds in Germany's pension system. news.de has put together the details of the show and its guests for you.

The focus is, among other things, on the aging of society and the declining number of contributors, which have a significant influence on pension financing. Pension expert Jochen Pimpertz speaks of an urgent need for reform to eliminate false incentives for early retirement. A challenging topic that not only affects families, but also medium-sized companies. Craft businesses in Emsland and the county of Bentheim in particular are increasingly confronted with the consequences of pension policy. As regionalupdate.de emphasizes, the discussion of the same name is also intended to provide impulses for regional economic and social policy.

Vigilance towards pension reform

According to experts, the current situation requires a rethink - the ratio of contributors to pensioners has changed dramatically. Where in 1957 373 people paid contributions to finance a pensioner, in 2023 this ratio is already 220 to 100 and is forecast for 2045 at only 174 to 100. An alarm signal that is troubling the MPs present. Does this mean that pensions could become unaffordable for young people in the future? This question will significantly shape the discussion.

Some of the guests in today's program come directly from the younger generation: Johannes Volkmann (CDU), as a representative of the Young Group, will also address the pressure from his peers on the federal government's pension plans. Quentin Gärtner, General Secretary of the Federal Student Conference, will also speak. Both voices are essential to incorporating youth concerns into the discussion. Ultimately, the future of retirement provision is an issue that affects all generations and encourages action.

Live discussion and replays

For viewers who cannot be there live, there is the opportunity to catch up on the program in the ARD media library. A repeat is scheduled for October 28th at 2:05 a.m. on Erste and on October 29th at 1:10 a.m. on 3sat. A live discussion on hartaberfair.de or on X at @hartaberfair is also available to gather citizens' opinions and enrich the debate. It remains exciting to see what solutions the guests will offer for the challenges of our time. Get the latest impressions on the pension question, because the topic remains a permanent construction site in German politics.