Not enough to live on:
When salaries or retirement benefits fall short
"I paid into my pension fund for nearly 30 years – and now I receive only 630 Euros monthly – it's just not enough to live on." Herrmann Küfner emigrated from Austria to Germany in the 1970s, and worked as an electrician. Having separated from his wife 10 years ago, he now lives in a small wooden cottage on a campground, and still must earn money. "Fortunately, things have worked out – I still do small jobs as an electrician. But actually, I imagined my existence as a retiree very differently. Living in a campground – that's okay for a vacation, but not every day."
Herrmann Kürfner's situation isn't much different from those of many retirees in Germany, and their numbers are growing. It is a question of poverty among the elderly, of raising retirement contributions, of life at the edge of the existential minimum – and moreover in Germany, where such things were unimaginable just a few years ago. If we take demographic shifts into account, things can only get worse in coming decades. People work, pay into a fund, yet still don't have enough money to live on – and the same applies to people beginning their careers as well.
"I love my job, but if I didn't receive a subsidy from the job office, I could toss my dream career out the window." Armin is a hairdresser with a chain of bargain salons. A haircut, dye job, and blow dry costs only 15 Euros – not enough to yield decent wages. His job is co-financed by the state. "It's absurd, how can my employer also contribute to my retirement? The small amount that gets paid won't be enough, I know that already. But I'm young, and I try not to about it, otherwise I'd go crazy."
"Not enough to live on!" accompanies retirees and young people who are launching their careers – people who could never survive without government assistance or additional jobs. Who enjoyed their careers, and who like to work, but simply don't have enough to survive.