Youth and pensions in a European comparison - how pension systems consider early adulthood and life course uncertainties

Recent pension reforms have made early adulthood an increasingly important life course stage for future pension income. Reforms that have tightened the link between lifetime employment and pension benefits have come at a time of changing labour markets and growing concern over the fragmentation of working careers This chapter looks at how pension parameters in seven European countries count towards young people’s pension entitlements and at how those parameters take account of career interruptions that are typical of early adulthood. The analysis shows that young people do come under public pension coverage, but some gaps remain, most notably in the case of unemployment. Questions also remain about the extent of pension coverage in platform work and other new forms of work. In the years ahead, it is essential to closely monitor the development of young people’s careers and to evaluate and adjust pension parameters accordingly.