The approach of retirement is often seen as a time for well-deserved rest after decades of work, a period to make better use of free time and reap the rewards of a lifetime of effort. However, for many older workers, this stage can turn into a real nightmare, marked by unexpected layoffs and additional difficulties in returning to the job market, as happened to this man, fired without justification just a year before being able to request early retirement.
This is the case of Roland Favre, a 63-year-old Swiss citizen who, after 40 years at the same company with an open-ended contract, saw his career come to an abrupt end.
When he had just a few months to go before he could apply for retirement and guarantee a more stable pension, the employer decided to end his contract, citing an internal restructuring, according to the Spanish digital newspaper.
Four decades of dedication ended without warning
Favre began his professional career as a telephone agent and ended up taking on roles as a logistics manager, always working for the same company. Over the years, he participated in various training sessions, accumulated tasks and increased his workload whenever necessary, often remaining working when “everyone else had already left”, as he reported.
Despite this path considered exemplary, he was informed of his dismissal without prior notice or any proposal for early retirement. The company, which announced the elimination of around 200 jobs in Europe, also eliminated the role it held at its headquarters in Germany, Austria and Slovenia. Only after threatening to seek legal support was he able to negotiate compensation equivalent to six months’ salary.
“Surely I was too expensive”
Favre believes the decision was primarily financial motivations. In Switzerland, early retirement is frowned upon by many companies, which seek to reduce retirement costs as much as possible. “This demonstrates a great disconnect with reality”, he laments.
“A 65-year-old worker can remain active, but anyone who is fired before that age finds a market that closes its doors”, he adds, cited by the same source.
Since then, he has advocated for creating alternatives to fund pensions while continuing to look for work. “I feel thrown away like a bag of rubbish. I didn’t want to and don’t want to retire yet, so I hope luck changes,” he said.
150 applications and no response
Since becoming unemployed, Favre has contacted several agencies and sent more than 150 applications, without obtaining a stable contract. “I only receive negative responses,” he says. Despite not being in his initial plans, he now admits the possibility of early retirement, although this would involve a significant reduction in his pension. “My financial advisor told me that if I move forward now, I will lose a lot of money, and it’s not fair.”
He only had a temporary opportunity at a logistics company, which has since come to an end, according to the same source. In another interview, he heard from a human resources manager that the available positions “only attracted young people” and that “we cannot hire anyone over 55 years old, it is an internal order”.
Increasing retirement age
Favre also criticizes the tendency to increase the retirement age in several countries, a measure he considers unfair and ineffective. “Companies see older workers as an economic burden, not so much for wages but for Social Security contributions,” he says.
In Switzerland, companies pay around 18% of contributions for workers over 55, while for younger workers the rate is around 7%, according to Noticias Trabajo.
“The result is that loyalty is expensive”, he concludes. After four decades of dedication, Roland Favre now faces a job market that appears to have no room for him, in a reality that reflects the growing challenges faced by many senior workers across Europe.
Panorama of reform in Portugal
In Portugal, early retirement corresponds to the possibility of a worker retiring before the legal age, which in 2026 is set at 66 years and 9 months, as long as they meet the requirements set out by Social Security. Under the general regime, access to retirement due to age continues to require, as a rule, at least 15 calendar years with earnings records.
This option applies mainly to those who have long contributory careers or are in specific situations, such as long-term involuntary unemployment. There is, however, an important point to clarify: it is no longer strict to just say that the penalty is calculated based on the months remaining before the legal retirement age.
In the flexibility regime, Social Security explains that the reduction is 0.5% for each month in advance in relation to the “personal retirement age”, calculated from 66 years and 9 months in 2026 and reduced by four months for each career year above 40 years of contribution.
Under current rules, a worker can request early retirement through flexibility from the age of 60, as long as they have at least 40 years of contributions. In these cases, a reduction of 0.5% applies for each month in advance of the personal retirement age.
Long career regime
There is also the very long career regime, which allows access to the pension without penalties for those who are 60 years old or over and have at least 48 years of relevant salary records, or 60 years or more and at least 46 years of salary records, as long as they started deducting before the age of 17.
There are also specific rules for situations of long-term involuntary unemployment. Anyone who, at the time of unemployment, was 57 years old or over and meets the guarantee period can access the pension at age 62, after unemployment insurance has been exhausted. Anyone who, at the time of unemployment, was 52 years old or over and had at least 22 years of discounts can, in certain situations, advance access to retirement to 57 years old.
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