At age 70, Pete Maie appears nervous at the start of a job interview to work as a part-time parcel delivery driver for a German logistics company.

“It’s a little stressful but I’m happy to be here,” said the former soldier and retired logistics manager, a blue shirt tucked neatly into his trousers.

Five years after he formally retired, Maie is reentering the labour market with the help of specialised recruitment agency Unique Seniors.

“I’m available immediately and ready to work as long as my body allows,” he said.

If it were up to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government, many elderly people would follow Maie’s lead to help fast-ageing Germany grapple with the twin challenges of a high pension burden and a shortage of skilled labour.

By last year, the cost of the pension system had bal

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