These are the main points of the French government's plans.
LATER RETIREMENT. An increase to 62 years, by 2018, of the legal age of retirement is the key measure. The statutory retirement age will increase by four months per year, effective from 1 July 2011. The age at which workers can retire and get a full pension will be raised gradually from 65 to 67.
LENGTH OF CONTRIBUTIONS: Workers will have to pay contributions for longer, the required number of years increasing as life expectancy increases. The first increase, in 2012, will be from 40.5 to 41 years.
HARDER JOBS: At present, some groups of workers in France have special arrangements allowing earlier retirement on a full pension because of the acknowledged exceptional hardness of their jobs. That whole approach is to be replaced by one by one allowing earlier retirement on a full pension only when the worker can prove permanent 20% incapacity, or permanent incapacity of between 10 and 20% directly linked to the job, at her or his date of retirement.
CONTRIBUTIONS: The contribution rate for public employees will be raised from from 7.85 to 10.55%, over 10 years.
(Information from Libération and other French press coverage).
