JEL classification

Minimum regulations, pension credits and the gender pension gap [30/01/2024]

This report shows that minimum regulations (minimum pensions and the minimumright per career year) and pension credits diminish pension inequality between men and women. If we assume that there are no minimum regulations, the pension gap would be 37% instead of 31%. If we assume that pension credits are not granted, the gap would be 43% instead of 31%. The pension credit part-time work with maintenance of pension rights, one specific type of pension credit, has a limited impact. Without this pension credit, the pension gap would increase with 0.4 percentage points.

Derived rights and the gender pension gap. On the importance of survivor and divorce pensions in women and men’s pension income [31/05/2023]

The results of this report show that the average pension of women is lower than that of men: in december 2017 the average gross pension of women aged 65 and older was 1469 euros, compared to 1920 euros for men. The gender pension gap thus equals 24%. The fact that this gap is not higher can to an important extent be attributed to the existence of derived rights. Without derived rights the gap would be 50%.

Analysing the impact of eligibility and financial measures aiming at delaying early retirement in Belgium: a "difference-in-differences" approach using panel data [20/11/2012]

Belgium is characterised by one of the lowest employment rates of elderly workers in the European Union. Since 1997, attempts have been made to discourage elderly workers from leaving the labour market before the age of 65. In particular, two measures aimed at reducing early retirement have been introduced. The first extends the number of career years required to enter early retirement. The second, called "pension bonus", financially stimulates elderly workers to pursue employment after the age of 62. This paper provides an ex-post evaluation of the impact of these two measures on the probability of remaining employed a year later using a difference-in-differences strategy. Our data consists of individual longitudinal employment data covering the period 2000-2009. Using panel data logit models, we find first that the extension of the career length requirement had a significant impact on the probability of staying employed a year later for blue collar and low income white collar male workers aged 60-61 compared to those aged 62-64 during the period 2000-2006. Our second exercise proceeds to estimate the impact of the "pension bonus" during the period 2004-2009, in the presence of the extension of the career length requirement. Comparing the two exercises allows us to conclude that the "pension bonus" had, if any, a very limited impact on the probability of staying employed a year later for male workers aged 62-64 compared to those aged 60-61.

Les pensions du premier pilier en Belgique à la veille du vieillissement démographique : une analyse du système actuel et de son adéquation
De Belgische eerstepijlerpensioenen aan de vooravond van de vergrijzing: doorlichting van bedragen, gerechtigden en adequaatheid [21/03/2010]

Long-term population projections in Europe: How they influence policies and accelerate reforms [16/01/2008]

The long-term demographic projections have progressively raised concerns about the consequences of ageing population. To better understand those changes and measure their size,
projections of social expenditure have been built and progressively refined. Confronted with a large budgetary cost of ageing in the long run, the Government’s alternative is: solve the problem
when it comes up or try to anticipate the negative results and prevent them. Three ways are to be considered that are not mutually incompatible: reforming the social system in order to reduce the cost for the present and future generations, increasing the tax or contribution receipts by pushing up employment rates and the trend growth of GDP and saving now in the public sector to cover the increase of the future expenditure. The paper shows that, since the end of the nineties, a broad movement of reforms has taken place in the EU which involves this three-pronged strategy.

De pensioenbonus in de werknemersregeling: simulatie met het model MEP [15/11/2006]

De financiële implicaties van langer werken : een Micro-Economisch Pensioenmodel (MEP) [15/07/2005]