Could abolishing mandatory retirement ease the cost of ageing to the exchequer and help alleviate the housing crisis? Photograph: iStockOn this week’s episode of Inside Business, we hear the argument for scrapping mandatory retirement here. Host Cliff Taylor is joined on the line by Irish Times contributor John Fitzgerald who thinks Ireland should follow the lead of Scandinavia, the Baltics and the Netherlands, where three-quarters of the population aged 60-64 are in the labour force. Also on this episode, we look at the German economy, which is frequently referred to as the Engine of Europe, but has begun to sputter quite a bit in recent times. And is there any cause for positivity in the economic outlook for Germany this year?

Source: The Irish Times February 05, 2026 05:06 UTC